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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


GIFT  OF 

PROFESSOR 
GEORGE  R.  STEWART 


i\r\ 

M 


Yf 


REPRINTED   FROM  "HARPER'S  BAZAR." 


THE 

UGLY-GIRL  PAPERS; 


OR, 


HINTS   FOR  THE  TOILET. 


NEW   YORK: 
HARPER    £    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN     SQUARE. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874,  by 

HARTER  &  BROTHERS, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


TO 


AUNT    SUSAN, 

THE  DEAR  AND  HANDSOME  OLD  LADY  WHO   NEVER 
NEEDED  ANY  OF  THESE  RECIPES, 

i 

LET  ME  OFFER  MY  FIRST  BOOK. 

0.  m.  $). 


PREFACE. 


BY  means  of  these  scattered  chapters  the 
writer  has  come  to  know  women  better — their 
traditions,  desires,. and  delights.  If  through 
these  pages  women  should  know  themselves 
and  what  they  may  become  in  regard  and 
temper  for  their  lovers,  friends,  children,  and 
their  own  sakes,  it  will  wrell  reward  the  pleas- 
ant labor  which  has  already  met  such  kind 
appreciation.  Begun  by  chance,  to  make  an 
agreeable  article  or  two  for  Harpers  Bazar, 
the  "Ugly -Girl  Papers"  were  continued  by 
request,  and  have  brought  the  writer  into 
friendly  bearings  with  many  of  the  readers 
of  the  Bazar.  To  their  questions  and  hints 
these  chapters  owe  more  of  their  value  than 


PREFACE. 

appears  on  the  surface ;  and  the  little  book 
goes  out  hoping  to  meet,  if  not  new  friends, 
at  least  some  old  ones. 

The  science  of  the  toilet  is  well -nigh  as 
delicate  as  that  of  medicine ;  and  as  no  pre- 
scription has  yet  proved  a  specific  for  disease, 
no  recipe  can  reach  all  cases  of  complexion. 
I  could  wish  for  this  book  'the  good-will  and 
consideration  of  physicians,  under  whose  ad- 
vice it  may  be  hoped  its  suggestions  will  ap- 
prove themselves  of  wide  service. 

S.D.R 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Woman's  Business  to  be  Beautiful. — How  to  Acquire  a  Clear 
Complexion. — Regimen  for  Purity  of  the  Blood. — Carbon- 
ate of  Ammonia  and  Powdered  Charcoal. — Stippled  Skins. 
— Face  Masks. — Oily  Complexions. — Irritations  of  the 
Skin. — Lettuce  as  a  Cosmetic.  —  Cooling  Drinks. — Sun- 
Baths. — Bread  and  Molasses Page  9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Care  of  the  Hair. — Children's  Hair. — When  to  Cut  it. 
—^-Ammonia  Washes.  —  Glycerine  and  Ammonia.  —  Po- 
mades.—  How  to  Brush  the  Hair. — Cutting  the  Ends. 
— German  Method  of  Treating  the  Hair. — Southernwood 
Pomade. — Hair -Dyes. — Dyeing  the  Eyebrows  and  Eye- 
lashes.—  Superfluous  Hair. — Depilatories. — Washes  for 
the  Eyelashes  and  Eyebrows 22 

CHAPTER  III. 

Elegance  of  Manner.  —  Grace  of  the  Latin  Races. — The 
Secret  of  Grace. — Gliding  Movement. — Calisthenics. — 
Erectness  of  Figure. — Shoulder  Braces. — How  to  Acquire 
Sloping  Shoulders. — Care  of  the  Feet. — The  Art  of  Walk- 
ing.— Picturesque  Carriage  of  Southern  Women 35 

CHAPTER  IV. 

N.  P.  Willis  as  a  Critic  of  Beauty.  — The  Perfume  of  the 
Presence. — Charm  of  Good  Circulation.  —  Chills  are  In- 


11  CONTENTS. 

cipient  Congestion. —Paper  Clothing. —Luxuries  of  the 
Bath.— A  Substitute  for  Sea -Baths. —To  Secure  Fra- 
grant Breath.— Delicate  Dentifrices.—  Fine  Cologne.— A 
List  of  Fragrance Page  48 

CHAPTER  V. 

Morals  of  Paint  and  Powder.  —  Antique  Toilet  Arts. — 
Washington  Ladies.— Making  Up  the  Face.— Whitening 
the  Arms.— Tints  of  Kouge.— To  Make  French  Rouge.— 
Milk  of  Roses.  —  Greuze  Tints.  —  Coarse  Complexions 
Caused  by  Powder.— Color  for  the  Lips.— Crystal  and 
Gold  Hair  Powder.— Dyeing  Blonde  Wigs.— To  Darken 
the  Hair.— Champagne  and  Black-Walnut  Bark.— Doom 
of  the  Complexion  Artist 51) 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Recamier's  Training.  —  Diana  of  Poitiers'  Bath.  —  High 
Beauty  of  Maturity.  —  The  Worth  of  Beauty.  —  George 
Fliot  on  Complexions. — Dr.  Cazenave. — Barley  Paste  for 
the  Face. — Prescriptions  of  the  Roman  Ladies. — To  Re- 
move Pimples. — Cascarilla  Wash. — Varnish  for  Wrinkles. 
— Acetic  Acid  for  Comedones. — To  Remove  Mask. — Lady- 
Mary  Montagu.  — Habit  of  Italian  Ladies.  —  Wash  of 
Vitriol 70 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Shining  Pallor. — Lustrous  Faces. — Golden  Freckles. — Ti- 
ger-Lily Spots.  —  Sun  Photographs.  —  Nitre  Removes 
Freckles. — Old  English  Prescription. — For  Yachting. — 
Almond-Oil. — Buttermilk  as  a  Cosmetic. — Rosemarv  and 
Glycerine. — Lotion  for  Prickly  Heat. — For  Musquitoes. — 
Protecting  Hair  from  Pea  Air. — Fashionable  Gray  Hair. 
— Dark  Eyes  and  Silver  Hair. — To  Restore  Dark  Hair. 
— Bandoline.  —  Cold  Cream.  —  Almond  Pomade.  —  Frr 
Skin  Diseases.— Sulphurous  Acid 77 


CONTENTS.  ill 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Service  of  Beauty. — Not  for  Vanity,  but  Perfection. — Eye- 
brows of  Petrarch's  Laura.  —  Fashionable  Baths. — Trim- 
ming the  Eyelashes. — Luxury  of  the  Toilet, — Its  Magnet- 
ic Influence.  — A  Safe  Stimulant.  — Amateurs  of  the  Toi- 
let.— Cosmetic  Gloves. — To  Refine  the  J^kin  of  the  Shoul- 
ders and  Arms. — Sulphate  of  Quinine  for  the  Hair. — For 
the  Eyebrows  and  Eyelashes. — A  Harmless  Dye. — To  Re- 
move Sallowness. — A  Hint  for  Stout  People. — Perfumed 
Bathing-powder Page  8G 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Hope  for  Homely  People. — Two  Vital  Charms. — The  Way 
to  Live. — Sunrise  and  Open  Air. — Bleached  by  the  Dawn. 
—  Live  at  Sunny  Windows. — In  Balconies  and  Parks. — 
Christiana's  Breakfast. — Brown  Steak  and  Good-humor. 
— True  Bread. — Device  for  Stiff  Shoulders. — Corsets  and 
Girdles.— The  Latter  more  Needed. — How  to  be  Pleased 
with  One's  Self .' 95 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Bonniest  Kate  in  Christendom. — A  Word  to  Mothers 
and  Aunts. — Different  Vanities. — The  Sorrows  of  Ugly 
Women. — Recipes  of  an  Ancient  Beauty. — Sand  Wash. 
—Color  for  the  Nails. — Embrocation  for  the  Hands.— 
Soap  to  Bleach  the  Arms. — Freckle  Lotions. — Artistic 
Enthusiasm  at  the  Toilet . 1 08 

CHAPTER  XL 

A  Dark  Potion. — Olive-oil  and  Tar  for  the  Face. — Olive- 
tar  for  Inhalation. — Carbolic  Lotion  for  Pimples. — Cure 
for  Musqnito  Bites. — Pale  Blondes. — A  French  Marquise. 
— Deepening  Colors  by  Sunlight. — Seductive  Cosmetics. — 
Nose-machine. — Finger  Thimbles 117 


lv  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Removal  of  Superfluous  Hair.— Effects  of  High  Living.— 
Work  of  Typhoid  Fever.— Roman  Tweezers.— Lola  Mon- 
tez's  Recipes.— Paste  of  Wood -ashes.— Bleaching  Arms 
with  Chloride. —Cautions  about  Depilatories. —Public 
Baths.— Improving  Complexions  by  the  Sulphur  Va?>or- 
bath.  —  How  Arabian  Women  Perfume  Themselves.— 
Profuse  Hair,  Sign  of  Nature's  Bounty Page  1 25 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Madame  Celnart's  Works  of  the  Toilet.  —  Literature  of 
Beauty.  —  Cares  of  the  Toilet. —Arts  of  Coiffure  and 
Lacing.— How  to  Hold  a  Needle  Gracefully.— Iris  Powder 
for  Tresses. — Arts  of  Italian  Women.  —  Depilatory  used 
in  Harems. — Spirit  of  Pyretic. — Herbs  used  by  Greek 
Women.— Mexican  Pomade.— Dusky  Perfumed  Marbles. 
—Lost  Perfumes.— Sultanas'  Lotion.— Brilliant  Paste  for 
Keck  and  Arms. — Baking  Enamel 134. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Last  of  the  Rose. —Weighing  in  the  Balances. —To 
Love  and  to  be  Loved.— The  Enigma  of  Love.— Its  Power 
over  the  Lot  of  Men.— Inspiration  in  the  Looks. —The 
Land  of  Spring.— The  Duchess  of  Devonshire.— Women 
at  and  after  Thirty. —Training  of  Emotion.— Warming 
the  Voice.— Crow's-feet  at  the  Opera.— Bohemian  Arsenic 
Waters.— Recipe  from  Madame  Vestris.— Milk  of  Roses.  ' 
—Sweet-oils.— Opera-dancers'  Prescription  for  Restoring 
Suppleness 146 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Fearful  Malady  of  which  no  one  Dies.— Esprit  Odon- 
talgique.  —  Gray  Pastilles.  —  Important  to  Smokers.— 
Mouth  Perfumes.— Care  of  the  Breath.— Directions  for 
Bathing.— Perfumes  for  the  Bath.—  Bazin's  Pate.—  Qual- 


CONTENTS.  V 

ity  of  Soaps. — Bathing  and  Anointing  the  Feet. — Nicety 
of  Stockings. — Delicate  Shoe  Linings. — Feet  of  Pauline 
Bonaparte Page  1  f>5 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

64 The  Leaves  are  Full  of  Joy." — Nobility  of  the  Body.—' 
Its  Possibilities.— Brain  and  Heart  Dependent  on  it. — 
Physical  Culture  Imperative  in  America. — Our  Contempt 
of  Health. — Easier  to  be  Magnificent  than  Clean. — Dis- 
tilled Water  for  Every  Use. — Substitute  for  Stills. — Vapor 
and  Sulphur  Baths.  —  Bran  Baths.  —  Oatmeal  for  the 
Hands. — Frequency  of  Baths.  —  Remedies  for  Hepatic 
Spots 1 G5 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Banting  System. — A  Quaint  Author.— Trials  of  Corpu- 
lency,— :Result  of  Living  on  Sixpence  a  Day. — Indifference 
of  Doctors. — A  Wise  Surgeon. — Relation  of  Glucose  to 
Obesity. — Diet  for  Stout  People. — No  Starch,  no  Sugar. — 
Losing  Flesh  at  the  Rate  of  a  Pound  a  Week.  — "  Human 
Beans." — Humors  of  Banting's  Tract. — His  Gratitude. — 
Honors  to  Dr.  Harvey.  —  One  Day  with  Dives,  the  Next 
with  Lazarus. — Bromide  of  Ammonia 175 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A  Letter. — Trials  of  a  Plain  Woman. — The  Best  Husband 
in  the  World. — Burdock  Wash  for  the  Hair. — For  Chil- 
dren's Hair. — Oil  of  Mace  as  a  Stimulant. — To  Restore 
Color  to  the  Hair. — Sperm-oil  a  Powerful  I  lair  Restorer. 
— The  Cheapest  Hair-Dye. — Cure  for  Chilblains. — Loose 
Shoes  the  Cause  of  Corns. — Pyroligneous  Acid  for  Corns. 
— Turpentine  and  Carbolic  Acid  for  Soft  Corns 185 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  Talk  about  Complexions. — Delicate  Lotion. — Cause  of 
Rough  Faces.  —  Sun  Painting  and  Bleaching.  —  Court 


VI  CONTENTS. 

Ladies  Refusing  to  Wash  their  Faces. — Experiments 
with  Olive-tar.  —  Consumption  and  Clear  Faces.  —  Rev. 
W.  H.  H.  Murray  on  Olive-tar. — Porcelain  Women. — 
Drawing  Humors  to  the  Surface. — What  is  to  be  Done 
for  the  Weak  Women  ? Page  \  92 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Sulphur  Baths.  —  Bleaching  Old  Faces.  —  Experiments  in 
Bathing.  —  Cautions.  —  Need  of  Public  Baths.  —  Their 
Proper  Prices.  —  Method  of  Giving  Sulphur  Vapor-baths. 
— Hot  Baths  for  Hot  Weather.— Russian  Baths  at  Home. 
— Improvements  Needed  in  Public  Baths.  — What  they 
Should  be. — What  they  Are. — The  Russian  Vapor- 
bath. —  After -Sensations. — Brightness  and  Lightness  of 
Health.  —  Reverence  for  the  Physical.  —  Influence  of 
Bathing  on  the  Nerves  and  Passions.  —  Necessity  of 
Public  Baths. ."  1(J8 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

xJovices  of  Uneasy-  Age.  —  Bread  Paste  and  Court-plaster 
to  Conceal  Wrinkles. — Accepting  the  Situation.  —  Plain 
Women  and  Agreeable  Toilets.  —  Examples.  —  The  Rec- 
tor's Daughter. — Dressing  on  .Two  Hundred  a  Year.— 
Ecru  Linen  and  White  Nansook. — A  Senator's  Wife. — 
A  Washington  Success. — Dull,  Thin  Faces. — Hay-colored 
Hair. — Advantages  of  Lining  Rooms  with  Mirrors. . .  212 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Physical  Education  of  Girls.  —  A  Woman's  Value  in  the 
World. — High-bred  Figures. — Antique  Races. — Inspira- 
tion of  Art  not  Vanity. — The  Trying  Age. — Dress, 
Food,  and  Bathing  for  Young  Girls. — A  Veto  on  Close 
Study. — Braces  and  Backboards. — Never  Talk  of  Girls' 
Feelings. — Exercise  for  the  Arms. — Singing  Scales  with 
Corsets  off. — Development  of  the  Bust. — Open-work  Cor- 
sets the  Best. — The  Bayaderes  of  India  and  their  Forms. 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

— The  Delicacy  due  Young  Girls.— A  Frank  but  Needeu 
Caution. — Care  of  the  Figure  after  Nursing Page  224 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Hands  and  Complexions. — Preparing  fur  Parties. — Kenning 
Hough  Faces. — Carbolic  Baths. — Chalk  and  Cascarilla. 
— Glycerine  Wash. — School-girls'  Flushed  Hands  and 
Faces. — To  Soften  the  Hands. — Red  Noses. — Secrets  cf 
Making-up. — Cologne  for  the  Eyes. — Cosmetic  Gloves. — 
To  Impart  a  Brilliant  Complexion 238 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Women's  Looks  and  Nerves. — A  Low-toned  Generation. — 
Children  and  their  Ways. — Brief  Madness.— Women  in 
the  Woods.  —  Singing.  —  Work  well  done  the  Easiest. — 
Sleep  the  Remedy  for  Temper. — Hours  for  Sleep. — The 
Great  Medicines — Sunshine,  Music,  Work,  and  Sleep,  24:7 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Changing  Wigs  and  Chignons. — Matching  Braids. — Friz- 
zing the  Hair.  —  Crimping-pins.  —  Blonde  Hair-pins. — 
WThat  Colors  Hair. — Bleaching  Tresses. — Sulphur  Paste. 
— Foxy  Locks.  — Freshening  Switches 257 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Hair  and  Complexion. — Black  Dyes. — Persian  Blue-Black. 
— Peroxide  of  Hydrogen. — Chloride  of  Gold. — Transient 
Dyes ". . . .  1 2G7 


THE  UGLY-GIRL  PAPERS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Woman's  Business  to  be  Beautiful. — How  to  Acquire  a  Clear 
Complexion. — Regimen  for  Purity  of  the  Blood. —Carbon- 
ate of  Ammonia  and  Powdered  Charcoal. — Stippled  Skins. 
— Face  Masks. — Oily  Complexions. — Irritations  of  the 
Skin. — Lettuce  as  a  Cosmetic. — Cooling  Drinks.  —  Sun 
Baths. — Bread  and  Molasses. 

THE  first  requisite  in  a  woman  toward  pleas- 
ing others  is  that  she  should  be  pleased  with 
herself.  In  no  other  way  can  she  attain  that 
self-poise,  that  satisfaction,  which  leaves  her 
at  liberty  to  devote  herself  successfully  to 
others. 

I  appeal  to  the  ugly  sisterhood  to  know  if 
this  is  not  so.  Could  a  woman  be  made  to 
believe  herself  beautiful,  it  would  go  far  to- 


10 


THE    UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 


ward  making  her  so.  Those  hopeless,  shrink- 
ing  souls,  alive  with  devotion  and  imagination, 
with  hearts  as  fit  to  make  passionate  and  wor- 
shiped lovers,  or  steadfast  and  inspiring  hero- 
ines, as  the  fairest  Venus  of  the  sex,  need  not 
for  an  instant  believe  there  is  no  alleviation 
for  their  ease,  no  chance  of  making  face  and 
figure  more  attractive  and  truer  exponents  of 
the  spirit  within. 

There  is  scarcely  any  thing  in  the  history 
of  women  more  touching  than  the  homage 
paid  to  beauty  by  those  who  have  it  not.  No 
slave  among  her  throng  of  adorers  appreciated 
more  keenly  the  beauty  of  Eecamier  than  the 
skeleton-like,  irritable  Madame  De  Chateau- 
briand. The  loveliness  of  a  rival  eats  into  a 
girl's  heart  like  corrosion ;  every  fair  curling 
hair,  every  grace  of  outline,  is  traced  in  lines 
of  fire  on  the  mind  of  the  plainer  one,  and  re- 
produced with  microscopic  fidelity.  It  is  a 
woman's  business  to  be  beautiful.  She  rec- 
ommends every  virtue  and  heroism  by  the 
grace  which  sets  them  forth.  Women  of  gen 


11 

ius  are  the  first  to  lay  the  crown  of  wom- 
anhood on  the  head  of  the  most  beautiful. 
Mere  fashion  of  face  and  form  are  not 
meant  by  beauty,  but  that  symmetry  and 
brightness  which  come  of  physical  and  spirit- 
ual refinement.  Such  are  the  heroines  of 
Scott,  Disraeli,  and  Bulwer,  as  inspiring  as 
they  are  rare.  Toward  such  ideals  all  women 
yearn. 

Who  will  say  that  this  most  natural  feeling 
of  the  feminine  heart  may  not  have  some  ful- 
fillment in  the  first  thirty  years  of  life  ?  This 
limit  is  given  because  the  latest  authorities  in 
social  science  assert  that  woman's  prime  of 
youth  is  twenty -six,  moving  the  barriers  a 
good  ten  years  ahead  from  the  old  standard 
of  the  novelist,  whose  heroines  are  always  in 
the  dew  of  sixteen.  In  the  very  first  place, 
one  may  boldly  say  that  beauty,  or  rather  fas- 
cination, is  not  a  matter  of  youth,  and  no 
woman  ought  to  sigh  over  her  years  till  she 
feels  the  frost  creeping  into  her  heart.  Men 

of  the  world  understand  well  that  a  woman's 

2 


12          THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

wit  is  finest,  and  her  heart  yields  the  richest 
wealth,  when  experience  has  formed  the  fair 
and  colorless  material  of  youth.  A  sweet  girl 
of  seventeen  and  a  high-bred  beauty  of  thirty, 
if  well  preserved,  may  dispute  the  palm.  I 
do  not  mean  to  decry  rose-buds  and  dew. 
One  hardly  knows  which  to  love  them  for 
most — their  loveliness  or  their  briefness.  But 
women  who  look  their  thirties  in  the  face 
should  not  lay  down  the  sceptre  of  life,  or 
fancy  that  its  delights  for  them  are  over. 
They  are  young  while  they  seem  young. 

Then  we  may  boldly  set  about  renovating 
the  outward  form,  sure  that  Nature  will  re- 
spond to  our  efforts.  The  essence  of  beauty 
is  health ;  but  all  apparently  healthy  people 
are  not  fair.  The  type  of  the  system  must  be 
considered  in  treatment.  The  brunette  is  usu- 
ally built  up  of  much  iron,  and  the  bilious 
^cretion  is  sluggish.  The  blonde  is  apt  to 
be  dyspeptic,  and  subject  to  disturbances  of 
the  blood.  From  these  causes  result  freckles, 
pimples,  and  that  coarse,  indented  skin 


LIMIT    OF    APPETITE.  13 

pled  with  punctures,  like  the  tissue  of  pig- skin 
— a  fault  of  many  otherwise  clear  complex- 
ions. 

The  fairest  skins  belong  to  people  in  the 
earliest  stage  of  consumption,  or  those  of  a 
scrofulous  nature.  This  miraculous  clearness 
and  brilliance  is  due  to  the  constant  purgation 
which  wastes  the  consumptive,  or  to  the  issue 
which  relieves  the  system  of  impurities  by  one 
outlet.  We  must  secure  purity  of  the  blood 
by  less  exhaustive  methods.  The  diet  should 
be  regulated  according  to  the  habit  of  the 
person.  If  stout,  she  should  eat  as  little  as 
will  satisfy  her  appetite ;  never  allowing  her- 
self, however,  to  rise  from  the  table  hungry. 
A  few  days'  resolute  denial  will  show  how 
much  really  is  needed  to  keep  up  the  strength. 
When  recovering  from  severe  nervous  prostra- 
tion, years  ago,  the  writer  found  her  appetite 
gone.  The  least  morsel  satisfied  hunger,  and 
more  produced  a  repugnance  she  never  tried 

to  overcome.     She  resumed  study  six  hours  a 

• 

day  and  walked  two  miles  every  day  from  the 


14          THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

suburbs  to  the  centre  of  the  city,  and  back 
again.  Breakfast  usually  was  a  small  saucer 
of  strawberries  and  one  Graham  cracker,  and 
was  not  infrequently  dispensed  with  altogether. 
Lunch  was  half  an  orange — for  the  burden  of 
eating  the  other  half  was  not  to  be  thought 
of;  and  at  six  o'clock  a  handful  of  cherries 
formed  a  plentiful  dinner.  Once  a  week  she 
did  crave  something  like  beef -steak  or  soup, 
and  took  it.  But,  guiding  herself  wholly  by 
appetite,  she  found  with  surprise  that  her 
strength  remained  steady,  her  nerves  grew 
calm,  and  her  ability  to  study  was  never  bet- 
ter. This  is  no  rule  for  any  one,  farther  than 
to  say  persons  of  well  -  developed  physique 
need  not  fear  any  limitation  of  diet  for  a 
time  which  does  not  tell  on  the  strength  and 
is  approved  by  appetite.  Never  eat  too  much  ; 
never  go  hungry. 

For  weak  digestion  nothing  is  so  relished  or 
strengthens  so  much  as  the  rich  beef  tea,  or 
rather  gravy,  prepared  from  the  beef-jelly  sold 
by  first-rate  grocers.  Tins  is  very  different 


DIFFERENCE   IN    DIET.  15 

from  the  extracts  of  beef  made  by  chemists. 
The  condensed  beef  prepared  by  the  same 
companies  which  send  out  the  condensed 
milk  is  preferable,  in  all  respects,  as  to  taste 
and  nourishment.  A  table  -  spoonful  of  this 
jelly,  dissolved  by  pouring  a  cup  of  boiling 
water  on  it,  and  drank  when  cool,  will  give  as 
much  strength  as  three  fourths  of  ^i  pound  of 
beef-steak  broiled.  For  singers  and  students, 
who  need  a  light  but  strengthening  diet,  noth- 
ing is  so  admirable. 

Nervous  people,  and  sanguine  ones,  should 
adopt  a  diet  of  eggs,  fish,  soups,  and  salads, 
with  fruit.  This  cools  the  blood,  and  leaves 
the  strength  to  supply  the  nerves  instead  of 
taxing  them  to  digest  heavy  preparations. 
Lymphatic  people  should  especially  prefer 
such  lively  salads  as  cress,  pepper-grass,  horse- 
radish, and  mustard.  These  are  nature's  cor- 
rectives, and  should  appear  on  the  table  from 
March  to  November,  to  be  eaten  not  merely 
as  relishes,  but  as  stimulating  and  beneficial 
food.  They  stir  the  blood,  and  clear  the  eye 


16  THE   UGLY-GIEL   PAPERS. 

and  brain  from  the  humors  of  spring.  Nerv- 
ous people  should  be  more  sparing  of  these 
fiery  delights,  and  eat  abundantly  of  golden 
lettuce,  which  contains  opium  in  its  most  deli- 
cate and  least  injurious  state.  The  question 
of  fat  meat  does  not  seem  satisfactorily  set- 
tled. I  should  compound  by  using  rich  soups 
which  contain  the  essence  of  meats,  and  sup- 
ply carbon  by  salad  oil  and  a  free  use  of  nuts 
or  cream.  Plump,  fair  people  may  let  oily 
matters  of  all  kinds  carefully  alone.  Thin 
ones  should  eat  vegetables — if  they  can  find  a 
cook  who  knows  how  to  make  them  palatable. 
It  is  strange  that  in  this  country,  which  pro- 
duces the  finest  vegetables,  fit  for  the  envy  of 
foreign  cooks,  not  one  out  of  a  hundred  knows 
how  to  prepare  them  properly.  People  who 
are  anxious  to  be  rid  of  flesh  should  choose 
acids,  lemons,  limes,  and  tamarinds,  eat  spar- 
ingly of  dry  meats,  with  crackers  instead  of 
bread,  and  follow  strictly  the  advice  now 
given. 

To  clear  the  complexion  or  reduce  the  size, 


TONICS   INEFFECTUAL.  17 

the  blood  must  be  carefully  cleansed.  Two 
simple  chemicals  should  appear  on  every  toi- 
let-table— the  carbonate  of  ammonia  and  pow- 
dered charcoal.  No  cosmetic  has  more  fre- 
quent nses  than  these.  The  ammonia  must 
be  kept  in  glass,  with  a  glass  stopper,  from 
the  air.  French  charcoal  is  preferred  by  phy- 
sicians, as  it  is  more  finely  ground,  and  a  large 
bottle  of  it  should  be  kept  on  hand.  In  cases 
of  debility  and  all  wasting  disorders  it  is  val- 
uable. To  clear  the  complexion,  take  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  charcoal  well  mixed  in  water  or 
honey  for  three  nights,  then  use  a  simple  pur- 
gative to  remove  it  from  the  system.  It  acts 
like  calomel,  with  no  bad  effects,  purifying  the 
blood  more  effectually  than  any  thing  else. 
But  some  simple  aperient  must  not  be  omit- 
ted, or  the  charcoal  will  remain  in  the  system, 
a  mass  of  festering  poison,  wTith  all  the  impuri- 
ties it  absorbs.  After  this  course  of  purifica- 
tion, tonics  may  be  used.  Many  people  seem 
not  to  know  that  protoxide  of  iron,  medicated 
wine,  and  "bracing"  medicines  are  useless 


18 


THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 


when  the  impurities  remain  in  the  blood. 
The  use  of  charcoal  is  daily  better  understood 
by  our  best  physicians,  and  it  is  powerful,  and 
simple  enough  to  be  handled  by  every  house- 
hold. The  purifying  process,  unless  the  health 
is  unusually  good,  must  be  repeated  every 
three  months.  We*  absorb  in  bad  food  and 
air  more  unprofitable  matter  than  nature  can 
throw  off  in  that  time.  If  diet  and  atmos- 
phere were  perfect,  no  such  aid  would  be 
needed;  but  it  is  the  choice  between  a  verv 
great  and  a  small  evil  in  existing  conditions. 
A  free  use  of  tomatoes  and  figs  is,  by  the  way, 
recommended,  to  maintain  a  healthy  condition 
of  the  stomach,  and  the  seeds  of  either  should 
not  be  discarded. 

The  most  troublesome  task  is  to  refine  a 
stippled  skin  whose  oil-glands  are  large  and 
coarse.  There  may  not  be  a  pimple  or  freckle 
on  the  face,  and  the  temples  may  be  smooth, 
but  the  nose  and  cheeks  look  like  a  pin-cush- 
ion from  which  the  pins  have  just  been 
drawn.  Patience  and  many  applications  are 


LETTUCE    FOR   THE    FACE.  19 

necessary ^  for  one  must,  in   fact,  renew   the 
skin. 

The  worst  face  may  be  softened  by  wearing 
a  mask  of  quilted  cotton  wet  in  cold  water 
at  night.  Roman  ladies  used  poultices  of 
bread  and  asses'  milk  for  the  same  purpose ; 
but  water,  and  especially  distilled  water,  is  all 
that  is  needful.  A  small  dose  of  taraxacum 
every  other  night  will  assist  in  refining  the 
skin.  But  it  will  be  at  least  a  six  weeks' 
work  to  effect  the  desired  change ;  and  it  will 
be  a  zealous  girl  who  submits  to  the  discom- 
fort of  the  mask  for  that  length  of  time.  The 
result  pays.  The  compress  acts  like  a  mild 
but  imperceptible  blister,  and  leaves  a  new 
skin,  soft  as  an  infant's.  Bathing  oily  skins 
with  camphor  dries  the  oil  somewhat,  when  the 
camphor  would  parch  nice  complexions.  The 
opium  found  in  the  stalks  of  flowering  lettuce 
refines  the  skin  singularly,  and  may  be  used 
clear,  instead  of  the  soap  which  sells  so  high. 
Rub  the  milky  juice  collected  from  broken 
stems  of  coarse  garden  lettuce  over  the  face 


20  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

at  night,  and  wash  with  a  solution  of  ammonia 
in  the  morning. 

Blondes  who  are  unbeautiful  are  apt  to 
have  divers  irritations  of  the  skin,  which  their 
darker  neighbors  do  not  know.  People  of 
this  type  also  have  a  tendency  to  acid  stom- 
achs, the  antidote  for  which  is  a  dose  of  am- 
monia, say  one  quarter  of  a  spoonful  in  half  a 
glass  of  water,  taken  every  night  and  morning. 
This  also  prevents  decay  of  the  teeth  and 
sweetens  the  breath,  and  is  less  injurious  than 
the  soda  and  magnesia  many  ladies  use  for 
acid  stomachs.  In  summer  the  system  should 
be  kept  cool  by  bathing  at  night  and  morning, 
and  by  tart  drinks  containing  cream  of  tartar. 
Small  quantities  of  nitre,  prescribed  by  the 
physician,  may  be  taken  by  very  sanguine  per- 
sons who  suffer  with  heat ;  but  pale  complex- 
ions should  seek  the  sun  when  its  power  is  not 
too  great,  and  be  careful,  of  all  things,  to  avoid 
a  chill.  This  deadens  the  skin,  paints  blue  cir- 
cles round  the  eyes,  and  leaves  the  hands  an 
uncertain  color. 


MAGNOLIA   COMPLEXIONS.  21 

These  precautions  may  seem  burdensome, 
but  they  all  have  been  practiced  by  those  who 
prize  beauty.  Nothing  is  so  attractive,  so  sug- 
gestive of  purity  of  mind  and  excellence  of 
body,  as  a  clear,  fine-grained  skin.  Strong 
color  is  not  desirable.  Tints,  rather  than  col- 
ors, best  please  the  refined  eye  in  the  com- 
plexion. Some  mothers  are  so  anxious  to  se- 
cure this  grace  for  their  daughters  that  they 
are  kept  on  the  strictest  diet  from  childhood. 
The  most  dazzling  Parian  could  not  be  more 
beautiful  than  the  cheek  of  a  child  I  once 
saw  who  was  kept  on  oat-meal  porridge  for 
this  effect.  At  a  boarding-school,  I  remember, 
a  fashionable  mother  gave  strict  injunctions 
that  her  daughter  should  touch  nothing  but 
brown  bread  and  syrup.  This  wras  hard  fare ; 
but  the  carmine  lips  and  magnolia  brow  of 
the  young  lady  were  the  envy  of  her  school- 
mates, who,  however,  were  not  courageous 
enough  to  attempt  such  a  regime  for  them- 
selves. 


THIS    UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS, 


CHAPTER  II. 

Care  of  the  Hair.  —  Children's  Hair. —When  to  Cut  ifc 
— Ammonia  Washes. — Glycerine  and  Ammonia. — Po- 
mades. —  How  to  Brush  the  Hair.  —  Cutting  the  Ends. 
— German  Method  of  Treating  the  Hair. — Southernwood 
Pomade.— Hair-Dyes.— Dyeing  the  Eyebrows  and  Eye- 
lashes. —  Superfluous  Hair.  — Depilatories.  — Washes  for 
the  Eyelashes  and  Eyebrows. 

ST.  PAUL  approved  himself  no  less  a  con- 
noisseur of  female  beauty  than  a  censor  of  de- 
corum when  he  wrote,  "  If  a  woman  have  long 
hair,  it  is  a  glory  to  her."  This  is  in  no  wise 
inconsistent  with  the  other  apostolic  passage 
which  discourages  ornate  hair  -  dressing,  for 
abundant  shining  hair  needs  less  care  to  ar- 
range than  a  scanty  crop  that  must  be  dis- 
posed to  the  best  advantage.  The  woman 
whose  magnificent  chevelure  reaches  to  her 
waist,  thick  as  one's  wrist  when  tightly  bound, 
needs  no  braid  nor  cataract,  finger-puff  nor 


WOMEN'S  DOWRY  OF  IIAIK.  23 

snow-curl,  nor  band  of  gold  or  amber  to  crown 
herself.  Every  girl  ought  to  have  such  hair. 
Mothers  should  remember  that  such  gifts  of 
nature  form  a  dowry  which  has  no  little 
weight  in  the  incidents  of  a  woman's  life,  and 
should  cultivate  assiduously  the  locks  of  their 
daughters.  It  is  not  best  to  keep  them  closely 
cut:  after  five  years  they  should  never  be 
touched  by  scissors,  save  to  clip  the  ends  once 
a  month,  as  hereafter  explained,  but  should  be 
smoothly  braided  in  long  Marguerite  plaits, 
the  most  convenient  style,  unless  the  mother 
is  ambitious  of  seeing  her  pet's  hair  in  curls. 
Hardly  any  locks  will  resist  good  discipline, 
if  taken  in  the  downy  stage  of  infancy  and 
submitted  to  papillotes.  It  is  a  mistaken  no- 
tion that  a  luxuriant  growth  of  hair  in  child- 
hood weakens  the  head.  Nature  is  not  in  the 
habit  of  providing  superfluities.  The  Breton 
women  are  noted  for  their  magnificent  hair, 
which  is  allowed  to  grow  from  childhood. 
The  barbarity  of  the  fine  comb  should  be 
abolished  in  civilized  nurseries,  and  a  daily  or 


24: 


THE    UG-LY-GIRL   PAPERS. 


semi-weekly  wash  with  ammonia  or  soap  sub- 
stituted, with  a  thorough  brushing  afterward. 
A  child's  head  is  too  tender  for  any  rasping; 
process;  even  knotted  snarls  should  be  cut 
rather  than  pulled  out.  Send  tow-headed  chil- 
dren into  the  snn  as  much  as  possible,  that  its 
rays  may  affect  every  particle  of  the  iron  in 
the  blood,  and  change  the  flaxen  colors  to 
more  agreeable  shades. 

When  the  hair  has  been  neglected,  cut  it  to  an 
even  length,  and  wash  the  scalp  nightly  with  soft 
water  into  which  ammonia  has  been  poured. 
This  may  be  as  strong  as  possible  at  first,  so 
that  it  does  not  burn  the  skin.  Afterward 
the  proportions  may  be  three  large  spoonfuls 
of  ammonia  to  a  basin  of  water.  Apply  with 
a  brush,  stirring  the  hair  well  while  the  head 
is  partially  immersed.  Do  this  at  night,  so 
that  it  may  have  a  chance  to  dry,  for  nothing 
is  so  disagreeable  as  hair  put  up  wet  and 
turned  musty.  Wring  and  wipe  it  thorough- 
ly, then  comb  and  shake  out  the  tresses  in  a 
draft  of  air  till  nearly  dry,  when  it  may  be 


STIMULUS    FOE   THE   1IAIK.  25 

done  up  in  a  cotton  net.  Night-caps  heat  the 
head  and  injure  hair.  Ammonia  is  the  most 
healthful  and  efficient  stimulus  known  for  the 
hair,  and  quickens  its  growth  when  nothing 
else  will  do  so.  A  healthy  system  will  supply 
oil  enough  for  the  hair  if  the  head  is  kept 
clean.  If  the  scalp  is  unnaturally  dry,  a  mixt- 
ure of  half  an  ounce  of  carbonate  of  am- 
monia in  a  pint  of  sweet-oil  makes  the  most 
esteemed  hair  invigorator.  Glycerine  and  am- 
monia make  a  delicate  dressing  for  the  hair, 
and  will  not  soil  the  nicest  bonnet.  Pomades 
of  all  kinds  are  voted  vulgar,  and  justly.  The 
only  excuse  for  their  use  is  just  before  enter- 
ing a  sea  bath,  when  a  thorough  oiling  of  the 
hair  prevents  injury  from  salt  water.  It 
should  be  speedily  washed  off  with  a  dilution 
of  ammonia. 

When  a  growth  of  young  hair  is  established, 
it  ought  to  lengthen  at  least  eight  inches  a 
year  in  a  vigorous  subject.  Hair  is  an  index 
of  vitality.  The  women  of  the  tropics,  with 
their  abounding  health,  have  luxuriant  cheve- 


26          THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

lures.  Among  Spanish  and  South  American 
women  hair  a  yard  long,  in  a  coil  as  thick  as 
the  wrist,  is  the  rule,  and  not  the  exception. 
The  warmth  of  those  latitudes  favors  the  se- 
cretions, and  stimulates  every  organ  to  its  full- 
est development.  To  obtain  like  results,  we 
must  try  to  obtain  the  same  conditions  of  lux- 
uriant health.  A  good  circulation  is  essential 
to  fineness  and  pleasing  color  of  the  hair. 
The  scalp  must  be  stimulated  by  frequent 
brushing,  as  well  as  by  the  ammonia  bath. 
A  lady  of  fashion  decreed  one  hundred  strokes 
of  the  brush  to  be  given  her  celebrated  locks 
daily,  and  those  who  have  tried  the  experi- 
ment find  that  it  is  not  at  all  too  much.  Giv- 
en quickly,  this  number  occupies  three  min- 
utes in  bestowing,  and  surely  this  is  little 
enough  time  to  give  a  fine  head  of  hair.  Once 
a  month  the  ends  of  the  hair  should  be  cut,  to 
remove  the  forked  ends,  which  stop  its  growth. 
The  patrons  of  a  certain  New  York  school  of 
high  repute  will  remember  the  young  daugh- 
ter of  an  Albany  gentleman,  whose  wonderful 


VEILED    IN    A    FLOOD    OF   HAIR.  27 

hair  was  the  pride  of  the  establishment.  The 
child  was  about  ten  years  old,  and  her  heavy 
tresses  reached  literally  to  the  floor.  She  was 
not  unfrequently  shown  to  visitors  as  a  phe- 
nomenon, veiled  in  this  flood  of  hair.  On  in- 
quiry, it  was  found  that  no  peculiar  treatment 
was  given  it  beyond  cutting  the  ends  regular- 
ly every  month  for  years. 

An  old  authority  gives  the  following  as  the 
German  method  of  treating  the  hair.  The 
women  of  that  country  are  known  to  have  re- 
markably luxuriant  locks :  Once  in  two  weeks 
wash  the  head  with  a  quart  of  soft  water  in 
which  a  handful  of  bran  has  been  boiled  and 
a  little  white  soap  dissolved.  Next  rub  the 
yolk  of  an  egg  slightly  beaten  into  the  roots  of 
the  hair;  let  it  remain  a  few  minutes,  and 
wash  it  off  thoroughly  with  pure  water,  rinsing 
the  head  well.  Wipe  and  rub  the  hair  dry 
with  a  towel,  and  comb  it  up  from  the  head, 
parting  it  with  the  lingers.  In  winter  do  all 
this  near  the  flre.  Have  ready  some  soft  po- 
matum of  beef  marrow,  boiled  with  a  little 


28  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

almond  or  olive  oil,  flavored  with  mild  per- 
fume. Eub  a  small  quantity  of  this  on  the 
skin  of  the  head  after  it  has  been  washed  as 
above.  This  may  be  efficient,  but  in  this  age 
women  prefer  the  cleanlier  method  of  stimu- 
lating the  hair  without  pomade. 

If  any  ladies  are  as  fond  of  stirring  up  cos- 
metics and  washes  as  were  the  wife  and  daugh- 
ters of  the  Vicar  of  Waketield,  they  may  try 
these  highly  recommended  recipes : 

The  following  is  said  to  be  an  excellent  curl- 
ing fluid  :  Put  two  pounds  of  common  soap 
cut  small  into  three  pints  of  spirits  of  wine, 
and  melt  together,  stirring  with  a  clean  piece 
of  wood  ;  add  essence  of  ambergris,  citron,  and 
neroli,  about  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  each. 

Eowland's  Macassar  Oil  for  the  hair :  Take 
a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  the  clippings  of  alka- 
net  root,  tie  this  in  a  bit  of  coarse  muslin,  and 
suspend  it  in  a  jar  containing  eight  ounces  of 
sweet-oil  for  a  week,  covering  from  the  dust, 
Add  to  this  sixty  drops  of  the  tincture  of  can- 
tharides,  ten  drops  of  oil  of  rose,  neroli  and 


INNOXIOUS    HAIR-DYES.  29 

lemon  each  sixty  drops.  Let  these  stand  three 
weeks  closely  corked,  and  you  will  have  one 
of  the  most  powerful  stimulants  for  the  growth 
of  the  hair  ever  known. 

Take  a  pound  and  a  half  of  southernwood 
and  boil  it,  slightly  bruised,  in  a  quart  of  old 
olive-oil,  with  half  a  pint  of  port-wine  or  spir- 
it. When  thoroughly  boiled,  strain  the  oil 
carefully  through  a  linen  cloth.  Repeat  the 
operation  three  times  with  fresh  southernwood, 
and  add  two  ounces  of  bear's  grease  or  fresh 
lard.  Apply  twice  a  week  to  the  hair,  and 
brush  it  in  well. 

Where  a  hair-dye  is  deemed  essential,  the 
deplorable  want  may  be  met  by  this  recipe, 
which  lias  the  merit  of  being  less  harmful 
than  most  of  the  nostrums  in  use :  Boil  equal 
parts  of  vinegar,  lemon-juice,  and  powdered 
litharge  for  half  an  hour,  over  a  slow  fire,  in  a 
porcelain-lined  vessel.  Wet  the  hair  with  this 
decoction,  and  in  a  short  time  it  will  turn 
black. 

Lola  Montez  gives  a  hair-dye  which  is  said 


30  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

to  be  instantaneous,  and  as  harmless  as  any 
mineral  dye  used.  It  is  made  from  gallic 
acid,  ten  grains;  acetic  acid,  one  ounce;  tinc- 
ture of  sesquichloride  of  iron,  one  ounce.  Dis- 
solve tlie  gallic  acid  in  the  sesquichloride,  and 
add  the  acetic  acid.  Wash  the  hair  with  soap 
and  water,  and  apply  the  dye  by  dipping  a 
fine  comb  in  it  and  drawing  through  the  hair 
so  as  to  color  the  roots  thoroughly.  Let  it 
dry  ;  oil  and  brush. 

White  lashes  and  eyebrows  are  so  disagree- 
ably suggestive  that  one  can  not  blame  their 
possessor  for  disguising  them  by  a  harmless 
device.  A  decoction  of  walnut-juice  should 
be  made  in  the  season,  and  kept  in  a  bottle  for 
use  the  year  round.  It  is  to  be  applied  with 
a  small  hair  pencil  to  the  brows  and  lashes, 
turnin^  them  to  a  rich  brown,  which  harmon- 

e5 

izes  with  fair  hair.  It  may  be  applied  to  the 
edo-e  of  the  hair  about  the  face  and  neck,  when 

o 

that  is  paler  than  the  rest.  Let  me  repeat 
that  the  best  remedy  for  ill-used  tresses  is 
strict  care ;  glossy,  vitalized  tresses,  kept  in  or- 


HOW   TO   WEAR   RED   HAIR.  31 

der  by  constant  brushing,  assume  by  degrees 
a  better  color.  It  is  a  mistake  to  soak  red 
hair  with  oil  in  the  hope  of  making  it  darker; 
it  should  be  kept  wavy  and  light  as  possible, 
to  show  off  the  rich  lights  and  shadows  with 
which  it  abounds.  The  sun  has  a  good  effect 
on  obnoxious  shades,  of  hair  if  it  is  otherwise 
well  attended  to,  and  red  or  white  locks  should 
be  worn  in  floating  masses,  waved  by  fine  plait- 
ing at  night,  or  by  crimping-pins,  which  do  not 
injure  hair  unless  worn  too  tight.  Pale  hair 
shows  a  want  of  iron  in  the  system,  and  this  is 
to  be  supplied  by  a  free  use  of  beef-steaks, 
soups,  pure  beef  gravies,  and  red  wines.  Salt- 
water  bathing  strengthens  the  system,  and  acts 
favorably  on  the  hair.  As  to  color,  hardly  any 
shade  is  unlovely  when  luxuriant  and  in  a  live- 
ly condition.  It  is  only  when  diseased  or  un- 
cared  for  that  any  color  appears  disagreeable. 
Sandy  hair,  when  well  brushed  and  kept  glossy 
with  the  natural  oil  of  the  scalp,  changes  to  a 
warm  golden  tinge.  I  have  seen  a  most  ob- 
noxious head  of  this  color  so  changed  by  a 


32          THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

few  years'  care  that  it  became  the  admiration 
of  the  owner's  friends,  and  could  hardly  be 
recognized  as  the  withered,  fiery  locks  once 
worn. 

Superfluous  hair  is  as  troublesome  to  those 
who  have  it  as  baldness  is  to  others.  There 
is  no  way  to  remove  it  but  by  dilute  acids  or 
caustics,  patiently  applied  time  after  time,  as 
the  hair  makes  its  appearance.  The  mildest 
depilatories  known  are  parsley  water,  acacia- 
juice,  and  the  gum  of  ivy.  It  is  said  that  nut- 
oil  will  prevent  the  hair  from  growing.  The 
juice  of  the  milk-thistle,  mixed  with  oil,  ac- 
cording to  medical  authority,  prevents  the  hair 
from  growing  too  low  on  the  forehead,  or 
straggling  on  the  nape  of  the  neck.  As  Wil- 
lis says,  Nature  often  slights  this  part  of  her 
masterpiece.  Muriatic  acid,  very  slightly  re- 
duced, applied  with  a  sable  pencil,  will  destroy 
the  hair;  and,  to  prevent  its  growing,  the  part 
may  be  often  bathed  with  strong  camphor  or 
clear  ammonia.  The  latter  will  serve  as  a  de- 
pilatory, but  causes  great  pain,  and  must  be 


DEPILATORIES.  33 

quickly  washed  off.  The  depilatories  sold  in 
the  shops  are  strong  caustics,  and  leave  the 
skin  very  hard  and  unpleasant.  Bathe  the 
upper  lip,  or  other  feature  afflicted  with  su- 
perfluous hair,  with  ammonia  or  camphor,  as 
strong  as  can  be  borne,  and  the  hair  will  die 
out  in  a  few  weeks.  Moles,  with  long  hairs 
in  them,  should  be  touched  with  lunar  caustic 
repeatedly.  A  large,  dark  mole  on  a  lady's 
neck  was  reduced  to  an  unnoticeable  white 
spot,  but  the  nitrate  of  silver  caused  a  sore 
for  a  week  in  place  of  the  mole.  Care  should 
be  taken  to  brush  the  back  hair  upward  from 
childhood,  to  prevent  the  disfiguring  growth 
of  weak,  loose  hairs  on  the  neck.  Fine  clean 
wood-ashes,  mixed  writh  a  little  water  to  form 
a  paste,  makes  a  tolerable  depilatory  for 
weak  hair,  without  any  pain.  Strong  pearlash 
washes  also  kill  out  poor  hair. 

A  clever  scientific  man  suggested  that  the 
growth  of  hair  might  be  hastened  by  frequent- 
ly applying  electric  currents  to  it,  or  bathing 
it  in  electrical  water.  Similar  experiments 


34:  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

have  been  made  on  vital  tissues  with  remark- 
able success.  But  this  theory  must  be  left  for 
further  development. 

The  eyelashes  may  be  improved  by  delicate- 
ly cutting  off  their  forked  and  gossamer  points, 
and  anointing  with  a  salve  of  two  drachms  of 
ointment  of  nitric  oxide  of  mercury  and  one 
drachm  of  lard.  Mix  the  lard  and  ointment 
well,  and  anoint  the  edges  of  the  eyelids  night 
and  morning,  washing  after  each  time  with 
warm  milk  and  water.  This,  it  is  said,  will 
restore  the  lashes  when  lost  by  disease.  The 
effect  of  black  lashes  is  to  deepen  the  color  of 
gray  eyes.  They  may  be  darkened  for  theat- 
ricals by  taking  the  black  of  frankincense, 
resin,  and  mastic  burned  together.  This  will 
not  come  off  with  perspiration. 


EDUCATION   IN   MANNERS.  35 


CHAPTER  III. 

Elegance  of  Manner.  —  Grace  of  the  Latin  Races. — The 
Secret  of  Grace. — Gliding  Movement. — Calisthenics. — 
Erectness  of  Figure.  —  Shoulder  Braces.  —  How  to  ac- 
quire Sloping  Shoulders. — Care  of  the  Feet. — The  Art 
of  Walking. — Picturesque  Carriage  of  Southern  Women. 

WAS  it  not  Madame  de  Genlis  who  de- 
scribed the  education  in  manners  under  the 
old  regime  of  France?  In  her  memoirs  she 
speaks  of  hating  Paris,  when  she  came  from 
the  provinces,  for  the  ordeal  she  underwent 
there  to  fit  her  for  polite  society.  She  was 
taught,  what  she  fancied  she  knew  already, 
how  to  walk,  and  was  placed  in  the  stocks  two 
or  three  hours  a  day  to  teach  her  the  right  po- 
sition of  her  feet  in  standing.  A  corset  and 
back-board  were  provided  to  form  an  erect 
habit.  Whether  in  her  day  or  later  ones,  the 
elegancies  of  manner  are  not  cultivated  with- 
out sincere  pains.  Nature,  indeed,  creates 


36  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

some  models  of  such  refined  proportions  and 
such  informing  spirit  that  they  fall  at  once 
into  the  curves  of  grace ;  but  these  are  meant 
for  models,  and  happily  nothing  forbids  those 
of  lesser  merit  to  attempt  the  same  lesson.  Are 
not  some  born  masters  of  the  piano,  full-flown 
at  once  over  the  first  difficulties  of  music? 
But  does  this  hinder  any  pupil  from  six  hours' 
daily  drill,  if  need  be,  to  grasp  the  same  diffi- 
culties ?  The  one  end  is  to  be  attained,  wheth- 
er instantly  or  not;  and  in  some  cases  the 
most  laborious  is  by  all  means  the  most  de- 
lightful player.  Courage,  then.  The  same 
thing  is  true  of  other  efforts  than  those  of  the 
key-board ;  and  it  is  quite  as  certain  that  the 
woman  who  trains  herself  to  be  graceful  will 
be  so,  as  that  the  clumsy  young  pedant  at  the 
scales  will,  in  time,  rush  victoriously  through 
the  "Shower  of  Pearls,"  the  "Cascade  of 
Roses,"  or  any  other  drawing-room  favorite 
of  gelatinized  octaves. 

For  the  first  comfort,  it  must  be  owned  that 
American  women  have  the  least  natural  grace 


SPANISH    GIRL    IN    THE    SENATE.  37 

of  any  nation  in  the  world.  English  women 
are  usually  well  trained  in  a  sort  of  martinet 
propriety  of  attitude  which  suits  their  solid 
contours ;  but  neither  Anglo-Saxon  race  knows 
an  approach  to  those  lengthened  curves,  those 
bends  of  every  slender  joint  and  supple  mus- 
cle, which  fill  the  eye  in  looking  at  a  woman 
of  Latin  race.  I  watched  a  Spanish-American 
girl  in  the  gallery  of  the  United  States  Sen- 
ate one  night,  in  order  to  seize,  if  possible,  her 
charm  of  gesture.  She  was  rounded,  yet  fine 
in  figure,  and  seemed  to  be,  as  I  can  best 
phrase  it,  all  muscle.  No  one  could  think  of 
her  bones  as  having  any  more  stiffness  than 
the  pliant  sprays  of  an  elm.  She  leaned  on 
the  railing  of  the  balcony,  not  straight  forward 
as  even  the  elegant  and  delicate  diplomatic 
English  ladies  did,  but  lengthwise,  as  if  reclin- 
ing; and  the  bend  of  her  supple  wrist,  with 
the  black  and  gold  fan,  was  simply  inimitable 
to  an  American  woman.  Those  in  transferable 
curves  bewitched  the  eye  even  to  pain ;  but 
something  was  gained  in  that  five  minutes' 


38  THE    UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 

study  which  I  reduce  to  two  points:  Side- 
way  movements  and  attitudes  please  more 
than  those  either  forward  or  backward.  The 
secret  of  grace  is  to  teach  every  joint  of  the 
body  to  bend  all  that  it  can. 

Take  the  last  point  first,  and  you  have  all 
that  you  need  to  teach  the  finest  grace.  To 
the  dumb-bells,  to  the  calisthenic  exercises  and 
work  as  if  you  were  qualifying  yourself  to  be 
a  contortionist  at  a  circus.  Vitalize  every 
fibre,  as  the  hot-blooded  Southerner  is  vitalized, 
and  the  body  will  play  into  grace  of  itself. 

The  first  thing  is  the  hardest  —  to  stand 
straight.  Most  people  are  satisfied  indeed  to 
attain  this  point  of  physical  and  polite  culture, 
and  never  get  beyond  it.  Erect  stiffness  is 
better  than  crookedness.  To  be  admirable,  the 
figure  must  be  perfectly  flat  in  the  shoulders. 
ISTo  projecting  shoulder-blades,  no  curves  are  al- 
lowed here,  however  pleasing  they  may  be  else- 
where. A  stout  figure  can  hardly  be  unre- 
fined if  it  is  flat  behind.  A  pair  of  inelastic 
shoulder-braces  must  be  called  into  requisi- 


INELASTIC    SHOULDER-BRACES.  39 

tion ;  and  these  should  be  made  of  coutille,  or 
satin  jean,  two  inches  wide,  and  corded  at  the 
edge.  Make  them  barely  long  enough  to  reach 
the  belt  of  the  skirts  worn,  and  button  on  them. 
Set  the  shoulders  perfectly  flat  against  the 
wall,  and  find  the  distance  between  their 
blades;  fasten  a  broad  strap  the  same  length 
— not  more  than  two  inches,  very  likely — by 
sewing  it  to  the  straps  behind  even  with  the 
lower  edge  of  the  scapula.  This  is  the  best, 
as  well  as  the  cheapest  shoulder-brace  to  be 
found.  If  well  proportioned,  and  all  the  meas- 
ure taken  scant,  it  can  not  fail  to  draw  the 
shoulders  into  place.  Excellent  teachers  of 
physical  training  say  that  the  will  alone  should 
be  used  to  force  one's  self  to  stand  straight. 
This  is  true  of  a  person  in  perfect  health. 
But  round  -shoulders  often  result  from  weak- 
ness or  sedentary  pursuits,  against  whose  in- 
fluence it  is  useless  to  struggle ;  and  I  would 
not  debar  any  half-invalid  from  the  luxury  of 
the  support  given  by  a  strict  pair  of  braces. 
They  relieve  the  heart  and  lungs  by  throwing 


40          THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

the  weight  of  the  chest  on  the  back,  where  it 
belongs,  instead  of  crowding  it  down  on  the 
breast.  To  correct  the  ugly  rise  of  the  shoul- 
ders which  always  accompanies  curvature,  and 
sometimes  exists  without  it,  weights  must  be 
used.  Nothing  is  more  nnfeminine  than  the 
straight  line  of  shoulder,  which  properly  be- 
longs to  a  cuirassier  or  an  athlete.  Some 
mothers  make  their  young  folks  walk  the  floor 
with  a  pail  of  water  in  each  hand,  to  give  their 
shoulders  a  graceful  droop.  A  substitute  may 
be  worn  in  one's  room  while  at  work,  in  the 
shape  of  an  outside  brace  of  triple  gray  linen, 
having  two  extra  straps  buckling  round  the 
tip  of  each  shoulder,  one  long  end  reaching  the 
belt,  with  a  wedge-shaped  lead  or  iron  weight 
hooked  on  it.  This  is  heroic  practice,  but  ef- 
fectual ;  and  its  pains  are  amply  compensated 
by  lines  of  figure  which  are  the  surest  expo- 
nents of  high  breeding. 

The  position  of  the  feet  is  not  to  be  neg- 
lected in  the  lesson  of  standing.  The  toes 
should  be  widely  turned  out,  to  balance  well ; 


DISFIGUREMENTS.  41 

and  if  the  foot  is  inclined  to  turn  in,  this  may 
be  remedied  by  having  the  boot  heels  made 
higher  on  the  inside.  This  will  throw  th* 
foot  into  a  position  to  develop  the  arched  in' 
step.  A  crooked  leg  is  a  matter  for  surgical 
treatment;  and  in  these  days  of  curative  in- 
genuity, with  steel  braces  it  will  be  but  the 
work  of  a  few  months  to  bring  the  most  awk- 
ward limb  into  shape.  Those  who  have  seen 
the  wonders  wrought  with  deformed  children 
who  have  crooked  limbs  and  bodies  will  con- 
sider it  a  simple  matter  to  bring  a  partial  dis- 
figuration under  control.  As  to  the  size  of  the 
feet,  sensible  people  will  never  be  persuaded 
that  any  degree  of  pressure  which  can  be 
borne  without  suffering  is  injurious.  Nature 
knows  how  to  protect  herself.  A  clever  old 
shoe-dealer  gave  as  his  experience  that  people 
wrho  always  wear  tight  shoes  never  have  corns. 
It  is  the  alternation  of  tight  and  loose  shoes 
that  gives  rise  to  these  torments. 

The  great-toe  joint  ought  not  to  project  be- 
yond the  line  of  the  foot.     I  know  a  zealous 


42  THE   UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 

young  girl  who  regularly  screwed  her  bare  foot 
up  in  a  linen  bandage  before  going  to  bed,  to 
keep  it  in  shape.  For  painful  swelling  of 
the  feet  in  warm  weather,  no  remedy  is  as 
effectual  as  an  ice-cold  foot-bath  for  live  min- 
utes in  the  evening  or  when  they  are  most 
troublesome.  This,  however,  must  never  be 
taken  without  first  wetting  the  head  plenti- 
fully with  ice-water,  and  keeping  a  cold  band- 
age on  it  all  the  while.  It  is  good  to  soak 
the  feet  for  fifteen  minutes  in  warm  water  at 
least  twice  a  week.  This  keeps  them  elastic, 
and  in  delicate,  pliant  condition. 

An  elegant  carriage  is  the  patent  of  nat- 
ure's nobility,  and  appears  of  itself  when  the 
body  is  held  into  proper  attitudes,  and  made 
properly  elastic  by  exercise.  The  great  cause 
of  all  stiffness  is  want  of  exertion — a  general 
rustiness  of  all  the  limbs.  To  the  slender 
child  of  the  South  the  climate  supplies  a  de- 
gree of  relaxation  and  suppleness  which  dis- 
penses with  the  need  of  action.  The  womei. 
of  South  American  colonies  seldom  walk  for 


GKACE   OF   CAERIAGE.  43 

exercise,  yet  their  movements  are  full  of 
grace.  The  stimulus  of  thorough  circulation, 
so  potent  and  softening,  can  only  be  gained 
in  our  colder  latitude  by  exertion.  A  lazy 
woman  may  be  picturesque  in  a  room  or  in  a 
carriage,  but  never  on  foot.  Americans  have 
one-sided  ideas  of  grace  in  walking.  A  wom- 
an as  straight  as  a  dart,  who  moves  without 
any  perceptible  movement  of  the  hips  or  limbs, 
is  considered  an  excellent  walker.  But  this 
unvarying  rectitude  is  far  from  the  poetry  of 
motion.  Watch  the  slight  lialancement  of  a 
graceful  French  woman,  and  you  will  see  an 
ease,  a  spontaneity,  and  variety  of  motion 
which  set  the  former  by  comparison  in  the 
light  of  a  bodkin  out  for  a  "  constitutional." 
A  fine  walk  is  an  affair  of  proper  balance. 

A  clever  friend,  who  has  spent  more  time 
in  the  study  of  women's  ways  and  manners 
in  different  countries  than  one  can  think 
profitable,  lias  some  unique  views  on  the  sub- 
ject of  their  walking.  He  says  the  haugh- 
ty wTornen  of  Old  Spain  carry  their  weight 


44  THE   UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 

mainly  on  the  hips,  which  gives  an  inde- 
scribable stiffness  of  demeanor.  Americans 
do  the  same,  throwing  the  weight  a  little 
more  on  the  thigh,  without  bending  the  knee. 
French  women  cany  the  weight  on  the  calf 
of  the  leg,  and  the  knee  bends  very  much  at 
each  step,  while  the  body  is  carried  with  the 
least  ~balancement  of  the  shoulders,  and  the 
head,  so  far  from  being  held  like  a  cockade, 
or  the  head  of  tongs,  is  easy.  La  tete  degagee, 
les  epaides  tomlante  is  the  rule  for  a  good 
style.  Try  the  difference  of  contracting  the 
muscles  in  the  calf  of  the  leg  in  walking,  with 
the  knee  bent  sensibly  at  each  step.  The 
body  involuntarily  throws  itself  back,  and  a 
lightness  of  motion  is  the  result,  which  is  im- 
possible with  the  usual  swing  of  the  leg  from 
the  hips  in  the  stiff  walk  of  Saxon  women. 
The  same  authority  says  that  the  far-famed 
serpentine  glide  of  the  Creole,  which  travelers 
admire  and  vainly  try  to  describe,  comes  from 
a  peculiar  movement  of  the  hips.  The  weight 
of  the  figure  is  thrown  on  the  loins,  and  half 


UNDULATING    WALK.  45 

of  the  body  moves  alternately  at  each  step,  not 
in  a  wriggle,  as  it  is  caricatured  at  the  North, 
out  with  a  soft  turn  of  the  shoulders  corre- 
sponding, and  a  smoothness  which  betrays  the 
sensuous  temperament  and  luxurious  physique. 
Such  is  the  walk  of  the  women  of  Venezuela, 
Bogota,  and  La  Plata.  Such  a  gait,  however, 
would  hardly  be  accepted  in  the  Champs  Ely- 
Bees  as  suggestive  of  high  refinement.  The 
women  of  Alabama  and  Georgia  have  traits 
enough  of  this  walk  to  make  them  among  the 
most  graceful  in  the  world,  as  far  as  carriage 
goes.  The  Creoles  of  the  Gulf  have  this  sinuous 
glide,  betraying  a  flexibility  of  limb  which  we 
can  scarcely  imagine.  To  gain  this  pliancy, 
twisting  movements  of  gymnastics  are  espe- 
cially suitable.  Gyrations  of  each  limb,  the 
head  and  body,  produce,  in  a  few  weeks'  prac- 
tice, an  enviable  degree  of  elasticity,  which 
gives  the  carriage  something  more  than  the 
up  and  down,  forward  and  back,  straight 
lines  of  motion  with  which  ladies  ordinarily 
favor  us.  A  smooth,  long  step,  the  weight  of 


46  THE    UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 

the  body  on  the  loins,  where  nature  intend 
ed  it  should  be,  and  the  legs  propelled  from 
thence,  without  stiffness  at  the  knee  or  ob- 
trusive motion  of  the  hips,  is,  probably,  the 
ideal  of  walking ;  such  as  one  finds  both  in  a 
highly  trained  woman  and  in  the  untaught 
perfection  of  a  South  Sea  Islander. 

I  have  spoken  at  length  on  the  topic  of 
walking,  because  its  importance  as  an  art  of 
grace  can  not  be  overrated,  and  because  it  has 
a  still  deeper  bearing  on  women's  health. 
The  training  which  secures  an  elegant  car- 
riage is  precisely  that  which  counteracts  the 
tendency  to  a  dozen  fatal  relaxations  at  differ- 
ent points  of  the  frame,  and  prevents  their 
appearance.  ISTo  one  ought  to  say  that  walk- 
ing brings  on  the  disorders  which  blanch  and 
wither  feminine  life.  The  cause  is  the  fatal, 
inherited  weakness  of  constitution,  shown  by 
either  undue  redness  or  pallor,  by  indolence 
or  excitability,  which  is  a  slow  decay  from  its 
first  breath,  and  poisons  the  hopes  and  the 
loveliness  of  so  many  women.  These  doomed 


WALKING    VerSUS    WEAKNESS.  47 

beings  must  work  out  their  own  salvation,  and 
make  themselves  anew  in  the  effort.  The 
weaknesses  would  develop  whether  they  walk- 
ed or  not.  The  care  should  be  to  adjust  ex- 
ercise and  nourishment,  stimulus  and  rest,  in 
due  proportion.  But  the  weak  woman  must 
have  separate  counsel,  for  she  by  no  means 
comes  under  the  head  of  these  unpremeditated 
consultations. 


48  THE   UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

N.  P.  Willis  as  a  Critic  of  Beauty.— The  Perfume  of  the 
Presence. — Charm  of  Good  Circulation. — Chills  are  In- 
cipient Congestion. — Paper  Clothing. — Luxuries  of  the 
Bath.— A  Substitute  for  Sea-Baths.— To  Secure  Fra- 
grant Breath. — Delicate  Dentifrices.— Fine  Cologne. — A 
List  of  Fragrance. 

WHEN  Willis  died,  American  society  lost  its 
great  personal  critic.  No  other  writer  shows 
such  insight  into  the  subtile  elements  of  wom- 
en's beauty,  or  speaks  so  assuredly  on  points 
of  mere  outward  attraction.  That  gentle  and 
gracious  critic  who  blesses  the  order  of  Old 
Bachelors  dissects  feminine  manner  with  zest, 
but  is  not  given  to  that  mention  of  ear-locks 
and  finger-tips  which  made  "  People  I  have 
Met"  such  a  conserve  of  hints  for  the  dress- 
ing-table. It  is  a  pity  such  a  connoisseur  of 
feminine  graces  could  not  have  taken  half  a 
hundred  distinguished  specimens  into  his  train- 


PERSONAL   PERFUME.  49 

ing  to  show  the  world  such  women  as  fill  the 
ideal  of  a  refined  man  of  the  world.  Willis 
was  susceptible  to  beauty  wherever  he  found 
it :  a  perfect  ear  on  the  head  of  a  plain  coun- 
try girl  would  not  miss  the  glance  of  this  art- 
ist, and  he  betrays  what  single  charms  may 
rivet  the  regard  of  a  man  of  taste  a  dozen 
times  in  those  glorious  sketches  we  never  hope 
to  see  excelled. 

You  remember  one  of  his  heroines  was  re- 
markable for  the  perfume  wThich  exhaled  from 
her  person.  We  are  not  to  suppose  that  this 
most  fascinating  gift  was  due  to  Coudray's 
sachets,  or  to  hedyosima  on  her  hair.  From 
repeated  experience,  verified  by  that  of  very 
discerning  and  sensitive  persons,  it  is  af- 
firmed that  certain  people  of  fine  organism 
and  perfect  health  have  a  fragrance  belong- 
ing to  their  presence  like  scent  to  a  flower. 
One  of  the  most  powerful  feminine  novelists 
of  the  day  said  that  she  always  knew  when  a 
favorite  brother  had  been  in  a  room  by  the 
slight  indefinable  perfume  that  followed  him. 


50  THE   UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 

His  pillow  breathed  it,  and  his  easy-chair,  and 
it  was  perceived  even  by  comparative  stran- 
gers. I  have  known  persons  innocent  of  using 
perfume,  whose  fragrant  presence  was  recog- 
nized by  every  one  who  came  near  them.  In 
all  cases  this  was  accompanied  by  a  bodily 
condition  of  perfect  health  and  much  mag- 
netic  attraction.  This  may  be  named  the  first 
in  that  list  of  subtile  personal  properties  which 
constitute  the  strongest  and  most  enduring  of 
physical  charms,  and  which  are  not  discussed 
with  any  proportion  to  their  potency.  We  do 
not  stop  to  ask  what  pleases  us ;  refinement 
attracts,  sweetness  detains  us,  and  we  are  only 
too  glad  to  lie  under  the  spell. 

May  a  plain  woman  reach  her  hand  for 
these  gifts  of  pleasing  ?  Surely.  They 
were  meant  to  be  nature's  compensation  for 
the  lack  of  chiseled  features  and  ruffled 
tresses.  To  reach  this  subtile  refinement  re- 
quires such  preparation  as  the  virgins  under- 
went for  the  court  of  Ahasuerus :  "  Six  months 
with  oil  of  myrrh,  and  six  months  with  sw^et 
odors" — if  not  in  kind,  yet  in  care. 


THE   LAW    OF    COMFORT.  51 

The  secret  of  lively  spirits,  even  temper,  and 
magnetic  %  presence  can  never  be  attained  in 
the  world  without  a  perfect  circulation  of  the 
blood.  It  may  be  out  of  season  to  say  that 
people  often  keep  themselves  too  cold;  but 
lay  the  hint  away  till  next  October,  when 
the  weather  changes,  and  mark  the  facts. 
Our  seasons  are  two  thirds  cold  or  chilly ;  our 
habits  are  sedentary,  which  tends  to  reduce 
the  force  of  the  system ;  as  a  people  we  are 
not  of  excitable  temperament ;  and  yet  stout 
men  and  hearty  doctors,  who  go  rushing 
through  their  business  all  day,  complain  be- 
cause women  sit  in  overheated  rooms,  and  can 
not  endure  draughts  in  the  halls.  There  is 
but  one  answer  to  this :  Nature  is  her  own 
guide,  and  it  is  one  of  her  laws  that  no 
creature  can  be  uncomfortable  in  any  way 
without  losing  by  it.  If  the  tone  of  the 
system  is  so  low  that  a  woman  feels  chilly  in 
a  room  at  seventy  degrees,  put  the  heat  at 
once  up  to  eighty,  or  higher,  till  she  feels  lux- 
uriously warm.  Chilliness  is  a  symptom  to 


52  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

be  most  dreaded.  When  the  blood  forsakes 
the  skin,  it  clogs  the  heart,  the  internal  organs, 
and  lays  the  train  for  those  diseases  of  the 
time  —  neuralgia,  paralysis,  rheumatism,  and 
congestion.  In  fact,  every  person  who  suffers 
from  one  of  these  stupid  chills  is  in  a  state  of 
incipient  congestion.  How  hateful  is  the  mis- 
erable economy  which  stints  fires  in  the  raw 
days  of  May  and  September,  because  the  cal- 
endar of  household  routine  decrees  that  it  is 
not  the  season  for  stoves  and  grates!  Not 
less  irritating  is  it  to  sit  with  a  circle  half 
shivering  in  a  large  parlor,  because  the  full- 
blooded,  active  master  of  the  house  has  decid- 
ed that  it  is  nonsense  to  turn  the  heat  on.  The 
slow  tortures  such  unfeeling  people  inflict  on 
their  innocent  victims  will  be  witnesses  against 
them  some  day,  to  their  great  surprise. 

Even  in  summer  many  delicate  persons 
find  the  skin  always  cold.  Those  who  are  so 
susceptible  should  never  be  without  protec- 
tion. The  most  convenient  is  a  sheet  of  tissue 
paper  quilted  in  marcelline  silk,  and  wrorn  be- 


PAPER  FOR  UNDER  WEAK.          53 

fcween  the  shoulders,  the  most  sensitive  point 
of  the  whole  body  for  feeling  cold.  The  com- 
fort of  this  slight  device  can  hardly  be  imag- 
ined. Paper  is  a  non-conductor  of  heat?  but 
porous  enough  to  admit  air,  so  that  it  never 
leaves  the  dampness  of  rubber  or  oil-silk  pro- 
tectors. Even  in  winter  the  warmth  of  these 
slender  linings  exceeds  that  of  a  sheet  of  wad- 
ding. In  the  change  of  the  year,  when  it  is 
not  cold  enough  for  flannel,  and  one  can  not 
be  comfortable  without  some  extra  clothing, 
this  is  just  what  is  wanted.  A  sheet  of  quilted 
paper  should  be  worn  for  the  back,  and  one  for 
the  chest,  the  arms  cased  in  the  legs  cut  from 
old  silk  or  thread  stockings,  which  cling  to  the 
flesh,  and  keep  it  from  the  air  better  than  any 
other  article.  Thus  equipped,  a  delicate  wom- 
an may  face  the  subtle  chills  of  spring  and 
autumn  without  a  shiver.  Added  warmth  is 
not  necessary  about  the  trunk  of  the  body  till 
extreme  cold  weatheiv  Clothes  fit  closely 
there,  and  the  vital  centres  always  generate 
most  heat,  so  that  only  the  extremities  and 


54:  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

the    upper   part   of  the   chest   need    protec- 
tion. 

The  daily  bath  needs  to  be  administered 
with  some  care.  The  value  of  hot  bathing  is 
hardly  understood.  In  congested  circulation 
nothing  is  so  effective  as  a  ten  minutes'  bath 
at  eighty -five  degrees,  the  water  covering  the 
body  entirely,  followed  by  a  cold  sponge-bath, 
quickly  given,  and  immediate  drying.  Bath- 
towels  are  not  half  large  enough  as  commonly 
made.  They  should  be  small  sheets  in  size,  like 
the  real  Turkish  bath-towels  used  by  the  wom- 
en of  Constantinople,  which  envelop  the  body, 
and  dry  it  at  once.  A  bath  should  never  chill 
one,  and  the  feelings  may  be  safely  trusted  as 
guides  in  the  matter.  To  a  constitution  strong 
enough  to  meet  it,  even  though  somewhat  de- 
pressed at  the  time,  nothing  is  so  inviting  as 
the  stimulus  of  the  cold  bath,  the  instant's 
chill  followed  by  the  rush  of  warm  blood  all 
over  the  body.  For  weak  systems  an  invig- 
orant  is  found,  so  simple  and  effective  that 
the  wonder  is  why  it  was  not  used  long  ago, 


AMMONIA   BATHS.  55 

When  the  season  or  circumstances  forbid  a 
stay  on  the  sea-coast,  a  substitute  nearly  if 
not  quite  as  strengthening  is  found  in  an 
ammonia  bath.  A  gill  of  liquid  ammonia  in 
a  pail  of  water  makes  an  invigorating  solution, 
whose  delightful  effects  can  only  be  compared 
to  a  plunge  in  the  surf.  Weak  persons  will 
find  this  a  luxury  and  a  tonic  beyond  com- 
pare. It  cleanses  the  skin,  and  stimulates  it 
wonderfully.  After  such  a  bath  the  flesh  feels 
firm  and  cool  like  marble.  More  than  this, 
the  ammonia  purifies  the  body  from  all  odor  of 
perspiration.  Those  in  whom  the  secretion  is 
unpleasant  will  find  relief  by  using  a  spoonful 
of  the  tincture  in  a  basin  of  water,  and  wash- 
ing the  armpits  well  with  it  every  morning. 
The  feet  may  be  rid  of  odor  in  the  same  way. 
But  what  shall  destroy  that  foe  to  senti- 
ment, that  bane  of  all  beauty,  an  offensive 
breath  ?  I  can  not  imagine  a  woman  could 
fall  in  love  with  Hyperion  if  he  had  this 
drawback.  The  suggestion  of  unrefinement 
and  of  physical  disorder  it  gives  would 


56  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

weigh  against  all  the  moral  and  intellectual 
worth  which  might  lie  behind 'it.  The  anti- 
dote, happily,  is  as  simple  as  the  evil  is  pre- 
vailing. With  attention  to  the  health,  and 
brushing  the  teeth  at  least  night  and  morn- 
ing, all  besides  that  is  needed  to  secure  a 
sweet  breath  is  to  dissolve  a  bit  of  licorice 
the  size  of  a  cent  in  the  mouth  after  us- 
ing the  tooth-brush.  This  will  even  counter- 
act  the  effects  of  indigestion,  and  does  not 
convey  the  unpleasant  suggestion  of  cachous 
and  spice,  that  they  are  used  to  hide  an  offense. 
Licorice  has  no  smell,  but  it  sweetens  the  mouth 
and  stomach.  A  stick  of  it  should  be  chipped 
for  nse,  and  kept  in  a  box  on  the  toilette. 

A  tincture  which  restores  soundness  to  the 
gums  is  one  ounce  of  coarsely  powdered  Pe- 
ruvian bark  steeped  in  half  a  pint  of  brandy 
for  a  fortnight.  Gargle  the  month  night  and 
morning  with  a  teaspoonful  of  this  tincture, 
diluted  with  an  equal  quantity  of  rose-water. 

For  decaying  teeth  make  a  balsam  of  two 
scruples  of  myrrh  in  fine  powder,  a  scruple  of 


57 

juniper  gum,  and  ten  grains  of  rock  alum, 
mixed  in  honey,  and  apply  often. 

It  is  useful  also  to  chew  a  bit  of  orris-root, 
which  Browning  says  Florentine  ladies  love  to 
use  in  mass-time ;  or  to  wasli  the  mouth  with 
the  tincture  of  myrrh,  or  take  a  bit  of  myrrh 
the  size  of  a  hazel-nut  at  night,  or  a  piece  of 
burned  alum. 

A  very  agreeable  dentifrice  is  made  from 
an  ounce  of  myrrh  in  fine  powder  and  a  little 
powdered  green  sage,  mixed  with  two  spoon- 
fuls of  white  honey.  The  teeth  should  be 
washed  with  it  every  night  and  morning. 

To  clean  the  teeth,  rub  them  with  the  ashes 
of  burned  bread.  It  must  be  thoroughly 
burned,  not  charred. 

Spite  of  all  that  is  said  against  it,  charcoal 
holds  the  highest  place  as  a  tooth-powder.  It 
has  the  property,  too,  of  opposing  putrefac- 
tion, and  destroying  vices  of  the  gums.  It 
is  most  conveniently  used  when  made  into 
paste  with  honey. 

A  fine  Cologne  is  prepared  from  one  gal- 


58          THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

Ion  of  deodorized  alcohol,  or  spirit  obtained 
from  the  Catawba  grape,  which  is  nearly 
if  not  quite  equal  to  the  grape  spirit  which 
gives  Farina  Cologne  its  value.  To  this  is  add- 
ed one  ounce  of  oil  of  lavender,  one  ounce  of 
oil  of  orange,  two  drachms  of  oil  of  cedrat,  one 
drachm  of  oil  of  neroli  or  orange  flowers,  one 
drachm  of  oil  of  rose,  and  one  drachm  of  am- 
bergris. Mix  well,  and  keep  for  three  weeks 
in  a  cool  place. 

To  this  list  of  fragrance  add  a  recipe  for 
common  Cologne  to  use  as  a  toilet  water. 
It  is  oil  of  bergamot,  lavender,  and  lemon,  each 
one  drachm;  oil  of  rose  and  jasmine,  each  ten 
drops ;  essence  of  ambergris,  ten  drops ;  spirits 
of  wine,  one  pint.  Mix  and  keep  well  closed 
in  a  cool  place  for  two  months,  when  it  will 
be  fit  for  use.  Ladies  will  be  grateful  for  this 
who  have  known  what  trouble  it  is  to  find  a 
refreshing  Cologne  which  does  not  smell  like 
cooking  extract  with  lemon  or  vanilla.  If 
with  these  hints  a  woman  can  not  keep  her- 
self fragrant  and  lovely-  in  person,  her  case 
must  need  the  help  of  the  physician. 


FAlli   JEZEBEL.  59 


CHAPTER  V. 

Morals  of  Paint  and  Powder.  —  Antique  Toilet  Arts.  -••» 
Washington  Ladies. — Making  Up  the  Face. — Whitening 
the  Arms. — Tints  of  Kouge. — To  Make  French  Kouge. — 
Milk  of  Roses.  —  Greuze  Tints.  —  Coarse  Complexions 
Caused  by  Powder. — Color  for  the  Lips. — Crystal  and 
Gold  Hair  Powder. — Dyeing  Blonde  Wigs. — To  Darken 
the  Hair. — Champjigne  and  Black- Walnut  Bark. — Doom 
of  the  Complexion  Artist. 

THE  time  has  gone  by  when  it  was  a  matter 
of  church  discipline  if  a  woman  painted  her 
face  or  wore  powder.  Nor  is  it  any  serious 
reflection  on  her  moral  character  if  she  go 
abroad  with  her  complexion  made  up  in  the 
forenoon,  however  it  may  call  her  taste  in 
question.  All  who  paint  their  faces  and  look 
forth  at  their  windows  are  not  visited  with 
hard  names,  else  the  parlor  of  .every  house  on 
the  side- streets  of  New  York  might  have  its 

Jezebel  waiting  the  dinner-hour  and  the  re- 
5 


60          THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

turn  of  masculine  admirers.  George  declares 
he  could  never  own  a  wife  who  used  powder ; 
and  yet  Annie  comes  down,  looking  innocent 
in  her  pink  bows,  with  a  little  white  bloom  on 
each  temple,  and  a  suspicious  odor  of  Lubin's 
Violet  floating  round  her.  I  don't  think 
George  meditates  divorce  on  that  account. 
There  is  something  noble  and  ingenuous  in 
the  sight  of  an  uncovered  skin ;  but  we  rec- 
oncile ourselves  to  the  pearly  falsehood,  ac- 
cepting the  situation  with  the  false  hair,  not 
so  gray  as  it  is  in  front,  and  the,  long,  artificial- 
shaped  nails,  and  the  cramped  feet.  Every 
body  knows  they  are  inventions,  and  accepts 
them  as  such,  like  paste  brilliants  at  a  theatre. 
The  arts  of  the  toilet  are  as  old  as  Thebes. 
The  painted  eye  of  desire,  the  burning  cheek 
and  dyed  nails,  were  coeval  witli  the  wisdom 
of  Alexandria.  Of  old  the  Roman  ladies 
used  the  fine  dust  of  calcined  shells  and  the 
juices  of  plants  to  restore  their  freshness  of 
color.  There  is  no  end  to  the  modern  con- 
trivances for  the  same  purpose.  Crushed  ge- 


LADY    WASHINGTON    GERANIUMS.  01 

ranium  leaves,  and  the  petals  of  artificial  roses 
which  contain  carmine,  friction  with  red  flan- 
nel, and  the  juice  of  strawberries,  are  homely 
substitutes  for  rouge.  The  women  of  the 
South  are  more  given  to  the  use  of  cosmetics 
than  their  Northern  sisters.  Perhaps  Washing- 
ton sets  the  example  to  all  the  states ;  for  no- 
where else  is  seen  such  liberal  use  of  paint  and 
powder,  skillfully  applied,  as  at  the  capital. 
There  women  paint  for  the  breakfast-table,  and 
carry  the  deception  every  where.  The  Span- 
ish-American ladies  make  the  absurd  mistake 
of  supposing  their  rich  complexions  and  dark 
eyes  are  not  more  enticing  to  Northern  eyes 
than  our  own  cold  beauties ;  so,  by  the  help 
of  toilet  bottles,  they  present  faces  like  Lady 
Washington  geraniums  from  nine  in  the  morn- 
ing till  they  ice  themselves  to  frozen  white- 
ness for  the  evenings.  Whited  sepulchres  is 
the  phrase  forever  ringing  in  one's  head  at 
sight  of  this  folly.  What  indignation  has 
seized  one  at  sight  of  Madame  -  — ,  the  witty 
and  enviable,  who  had  the  weakness  to  mask 


62  THE   UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

her  lustrous,  tropical,  Murillo  colors  —  which 
enchanted  every  Northern  heart — with  poor 
plaster  of  burned  oyster-shells !  It  was  very 
well  for  the  Treasury  blondes,  who  looked  like 
human  peaches  till  one  saw  them  close,  to  dab- 
ble in  white  and  pink.  It  suited  their  style. 
For  these  superb  Creoles  and  Sevillians,  never ! 

Both  from  principle  and  preference,  this 
book  discountenances  paint  and  powder.  It 
believes  that  a  woman  needs  no  other  cos- 
metics than  fresh  air,  exercise,  and  pure  wa- 
ter, which,  if  freely  used,  will  impart  a  rud- 
dier glow  and  more  pearly  tint  to  the  face 
than  all  the  rouge  and  lily-white  in  Christen- 
dom. 

But  if  she  must  resort  to  artificial  beauty, 
let  her  be  artistic  about  it,  and  not  lay  on 
paint  as  one  would  furniture  polish,  to  be  rub- 
bed in  with  rags.  The  best  and  cheapest 
powder  is  refined  chalk  in  little  pellets,  each 
enough  for  an  application.  Powder  is  a  pro- 
tection and  comfort  on  long  journeys  or  in 
the  city  dust.  If  the  pores  of  the  skin  must 


HOW   TO    USE   POWDER.  65 

be  filled,  one  would  prefer  clean  dust,  to  be- 
gin with.  A  layer  of  powder  will  prevent 
freckles  and  sun-burn  when  properly  applied. 
It  cools  feverish  skins,  and  its  use  can  be 
condoned  when  it  modifies  the  contrast  be- 
tween red  arms  and  white  evening  dresses. 
In  amateur  theatricals  it  is  indispensable,  the 
foot-lights  throwing  the  worst  construction  on 
even  good  complexions.  In  all  these  cases  it 
is  worth  while  to  know  how  to  use  it  well. 
The  skin  should  be  as  clean  and  cool  as  possi- 
ble, to  begin.  A  pellet  of  chalk,  without  any 
poisonous  bismuth  in  it,  should  be  wrapped  in 
coarse  linen  and  crushed  in  water,  grinding  it 
well  between  the  fingers.  Then  wash  the 
face  quickly  with  the  linen,  and  the  wet  pow- 
der oozes  in  its  finest  state  through  the  cloth, 
leaving  a  pure  white  deposit  when  dry.  Press 
the  face  lightly  with  a  damp  handkerchief  to 
remove  superfluous  powder,  wiping  the  brows 
and  nostrils  free.  This  mode  of  using  chalk 
is  less  easily  detected  than  when  it  is  dusted 
on  dry, 


64  THE    UGLY -GIRL    TAPERS. 

The  best  foundation  for  Lubin's  powder  is 
gained  by  soaping  the  face  well,  and  taking 
care  not  to  rinse  off  all  the  smooth,  glossy  feel- 
ing it  leaves.  Dry  the  face  without  wiping, 
and  the  thinnest  layer  of  oil  is  left,  which 
holds  the  dry  powder,  without  that  mealy  look 
which  Lubin  is  apt  to  leave.  To  whiten  the 
arms  for  theatricals,  rub  them  first  with  glvc- 
erine,  not  letting  the  skin  absorb  it  all,  and 
apply  chalk.  The  country  practice  is  to  sub- 
stitute a  tallow  candle  for  the  glycerine;  but 
0111*8  is  a  progressive  age.  At  least  the  moral 
feeling  leads  one  to  spare  an  escort's  coat- 
sleeve. 

Rouge  needs  consideration  before  rashly  ap- 
plying. There  are  more  tints  of  complexion 
than  there  are  roses,  and  one  can  only  be  suc- 
crssful  by  observing  the  natural  colors  of  a' 
beauty  of  her  own  type.  Some  cheeks  have-  a 
wine-like,  purplish  glow,  others  a  transparent 
saffron  tinge,  like  yellowish -pink  porcelain: 
others  still  have  clear,  pale  carmine;  and  the 
rarest  of  all,  that  suffused  tint  like  apple  bios- 


THE    BANE    OF    BISMUTH.  65 

soms.  By  making  her  own  rouge  a  lady  can 
graduate  her  pallet — that  is  to  say,  her  cheeks 
—  at  pleasure.  The  following  preparations 
have  the  virtue,  at  least,  of  being  harmless, 
which  can  not  be  said  of  most  paints  and  pow- 
ders. Red-lead,  bismuth,  arsenic,  and  poison- 
ous vegetable  compounds  are  used  in  the  com- 
mon cosmetics.  Bismuth  is  most  frequent; 
and  its  least  effect  is  to  give  the  cheeks  it  has 
whitened  a  crop  of  purplish  pimples,  which 
would  iridicate  that  the  wearer  was  freely 
"  dispoged"  to  the  same  tastes  as  Sairey  Gamp. 
The  hideously  coarse  complexion  of  many 
public  singers  is  partly  due  to  their  use  of  bis- 
in.itli  powder.  An  old  dispensatory  gives  the 
following  formula  for  a  harmless  cosmetic  un- 
der the  name  of  Almond  Bloom : 
,  Take  of  Brazil  dust,  one  ounce ;  water, 
three  pints ;  boil,  strain,  and  add  six  drachms 
of  isinglass,  two  of  cochineal,  three  of  borax, 
and  an  ounce  of  alum ;  boil  again,  and  strain 
through  a  fine  cloth.  Use  as  a  liquid  cos- 
metic. 


66          THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

Devoux  French  rouge  is  thus  prepared: 
Carmine,  half  a  drachm ;  oil  of  almonds,  one 
drachm ;  French  chalk,  two  ounces.  Mix. 
This  makes  a  dry  rouge. 

The  milk  of  roses  is  made  by  mixing  four 
ounces  of  oil  of  almonds,  forty  drops  of  oil  of 
tartar,  and  half  a  pint  of  rose-water  with  car- 
mine to  the  proper  shade.  This  is  very  sooth- 
ing to  the  skin.  Different  tinges  may  be  given 
to  the  rouge  by  adding  a  few  flakes  of  indigo 
for  the  deep  black-rose  crimson,  or  mixing  a  lit- 
tle pale  yellow  with  less  carmine  for  the  soft 
Greuze  tints.  All  preparations  for  darkening 
the  eyebrows,  eyelashes,  etc.,  must  be  put  on 
with  a  small  hair-pencil.  The  "dirty-finger" 
effect  is  not  good.  A  fine  line  of  black  round 
the  rim  of  the  eyelid,  when  properly  done, 
should  not  be  detected,  and  its  effect  in  soften-, 
ing  and  enlarging  the  appearance  of  the  eyes 
is  well  known  by  all  amateur  players.  A 
smeared,  blotchy  look  conveys  an  unpleasant 
idea  of  dissipation. 

For  the  finger-tips,  alkanet  makes  a  good 


CRYSTAL    AND    GOLD    HAIR    POWDER.  67 

stain.  An  eighth  of  an  ounce  of  clippings 
tied  in  coarse  muslin,  and  soaked  for  a  week 
in  diluted  alcohol,  will  give  a  tincture  of  love- 
ly dye.  The  finger  -  tips  should  be  touched 
with  jewelers'  cotton  dipped  in  this  mixture. 

Hair-powder  is  made  from  powdered  starch, 
sifted  through  muslin,  and  scented  with  oil 
of  roses  in  the  proportion  of  twelve  drops  to 
the  pound.  Crystal  powder  is  glass  dust,  ob- 
tained from  factories,  or  powdered  crystallized 
salts  of  different  kinds.  A  golden  powder 
may  be  procured  by  coloring  a  saturated  so- 
lution of  alum  bright  yellow  with  turmeric, 
then  allowing  it  to  crystallize,  and  reducing 
it  to  coarse  powder.  This  certainly  has  the 
merit  of  cheapness. 

Color  for  the  lips  is  nothing  more  than  cold 
cream,  with  a  larger  quantity  of  wax  than 
usual  melted  in  it,  with  a  few  drachms  of  car- 
mine. For  vermilion  tint  use  a  strong  in- 
fusion of  alkanet  instead  of  poisonous  red- 
lead.  Keep  the  chippings  for-  a  week  in  the 
almond-oil  of  which  the  cold  cream  is  made, 


68  THE    UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 

and  afterward  incorporate  with  wax  and 
spermaceti.  Always  tie  alkanet  in  muslin 
when  it  is  used  for  coloring  purposes. 

When  blonde  wTigs  are  not  attainable  for 
theatricals,  a  switch  of  dark  hair  may  be 
bleached  by  soaking  in  strong  vinegar,  and 
colored  by  an  infusion  of  turmeric  in  Cham- 
pagne, or  by  the  liquor  obtained  from  the  tops 
of  potatoes  ready  to  flower,  mixed  with  water, 
suffering  it  to  steep  twenty-four  hours.  This 
is  too  poisonous  ever  to  be  used  on  the  head 
with  safety. 

The  walnut  stain  for  skin  or  hair  is  made 
precisely  like  that  for  cloth,  by  boiling  the 
bark — say  an  ounce  to  a  pint  of  water — for 
an  hour,  slowly,  and  adding  a  lump  of  alum 
the  size  of  a  thimble  to  set  the  dye.  Apply 
with  a  little  brush,  such  as  is  used  in  water- 
colors,  to  the  lashes  and  eyebrows,  or  with  a 
sponge  to  the  hair.  Wrap  the  head  in  an  old 
handkerchief  when  going  to  sleep,  or  the  moist- 
ure of  the  hair  will  stain  the  pillow-cases. 

But  one  tiling  must  be  said :  the  woman 


LOST    BLOOM    AND    GLOSS.  69 

who  has  once  taken  to  painting  and  coloring 
must  go  on  painting  and  coloring ;  rarely,  if 
ever,  does  the  complexion  regain  its  bloom, 
the  skin  its  smoothness,  or  the  hair  its  gloss. 
In  most  cases  the  operator  must  go  on  deep- 
ening the  hue,  and  in  no  case  can  he  or  she 
be  sure  of  the  shade  or  tint  which  successive 
applications  will  produce. 


70          THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPKK9. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Recamier's  Training.  —  Diana  of  Poitiers,  Bath.  —  High 
Beauty  of  Maturity. — The  Worth  of  Beauty. — George 
Eliot  on  Complexions. — Dr.  Cazenave. — Barley  Paste  for 
the  Face. — Prescriptions  of  the  Roman  Ladies. — To  Re- 
move Pimples. — Cascarilla  Wash. — Varnish  for  Wrinkles. 
— Acetic  Acid  for  Comedones. — To  Remove  Mask. — Lady 
Mary  Montagu. — Habit  of  Italian  Ladies.  —  Wash  of 
Vitriol. 

THE  motto  that  used  to  haunt  our  souls 
over  copy-books,  "  Xo  excellence  without  great 
labor/'  is  as  true  about  personal  improvement 
as  any  thing  else.  Few  celebrated  beauties 
have  gained  their  fame  without  use  of  those 
arts  which  must  be  the  earliest  of  all,  since  we 
have  no  record  of  their  first  teaching  —  the 
arts  of  the  toilette.  Madame  Kecamier,  who 
exercised  more  power  by  her  beauty  than  any 
woman  of  modern  times,  was  bred  by  a  most 
careful  mother,  versed  in  all  the  mysteries  of 


KEFINED   BEAUTY.  71 

training.  Her  exceeding  delicacy  of  com- 
plexion arose  from  the  protection  she  gave  it, 
never  going  out  except  in  her  carriage,  and 
scarcely  knowing  what  it  was  to  set  foot  to 
the  ground.  Margaret  of  Anjou  and  Mary 
Stuart,  in  earlier  times,  were  wise  as  ser- 
pents in  the  magic  of  the  toilet,  disdaining 
neither  May  clew  nor  less  simple  lotions  for 
cheeks  whereon  the  eye  of  the  world  was  to 
dwell.  Diana  of  Poitiers  bequeathed  a  leg- 
acy of  value  to  her  sex  in  commending  the 
use  of  the  rain-water  bath,  which  preserved 
her  own  beauty  till,  at  the  age  of  sixty -five,  no 
one  could  be  insensible  to  her.  Ninon  de 
1'Enclos  left  the  same  testimony.  It  is  intol- 
erable that  women  have  not  the  ambition  to 
preserve  their  health  and  charms  to  the  latest 
date,  and  give  up  their  cases  so  shamefully 
soon.  An  intelligent  maturity  chisels  and  re- 
fines the  face  to  a  high  and  feeling  beauty; 
that  is  to  the  attractions  of  youth  what  the 
aristocratic  head  of  Booth  would  be  beside  a 
pink-and-white  lady-killer  of  society.  This  se- 


72  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

rene  and  finished  expression  should  find  phys- 
ical favor  to  accompany  it.  K"or  is  this  to  be 
gained,  as  many  say,  by  leading  a  passive,  emo- 
tionless life.  People  of  vivid  feeling  are  the 
youngest.  Their  quick  alterations  of  mood 
make  the  face  clean  cut,  yet  do  not  settle  it  in 
uniform  furrows.  Both  grief  and  joy,  yearn- 
ing passion  and  utter  renunciation,  are  needed 
to  sculpture  finely  the  statues  for  remem- 
brance. Xo  one  professing  the  loftiest  aims, 
who  understands  human  nature,  can  despise 
the  care  of  personal  beauty  when,  combined 
with  moral  worth,  its  influence  is  so  irresist- 
ible. Look  at  the  portraits  of  those  renowned 
as  moral  and  intellectual  heroes ;  it  will  be 
found  their  greatness  was  rarely  associated 
with  physical  repulsiveness,  and  though  their 
faces  in  the  conflicts  of  life  grew  seamed 
and  worn,  yet  in  youth  they  must  have  been 
more  than  ordinarily  remarked  for  beauty  of 
a  high  order  —  Columbus  and  Galileo  and 
Whitefield  will  do  for  examples.  And  if 
the  reader  go  through  the  range  of  feminine 


VALUE    OF    A    CLEAR   COMPLEXION.  73 

celebrities,  from  the  poets  to  missionary  biog- 
raphies, "with  portrait  of  the  original,"  not 
one  face  in  ten  will  dispute  what  I  have 
said. 

Least  of  all  let  any  woman  heed  smiling 
scorn  of  her  weakness  in  taking  pains  to  se- 
cure a  good  complexion  —  the  real  clearness 
and  color,  if  she  eschew  the  coarse  pretense 
of  powder  and  paint.  George  Eliot,  with  her 
masculine  sense,  bears  witness  to  the  irresisti- 
ble tendency  to  associate  a  pure  soul  with  a 
lucent  complexion.  No  woman  can  be  disa~ 
greeable  if  she  have  this  saving  claim ;  and 
there  will  be  no  apology  for  adding  a  few  es- 
timable recipes  for  the  purpose  from  the  col- 
lection of  a  foreign  physician,  Dr.  Cazenave. 
He  recommends  the  following  as  a  composi- 
tion for  the  face : 

Three  ounces  of  ground  barley,  one  ounce 
of  honey,  and  the* white  of  one  egg,  mixed  to 
a  paste,  and  spread  thickly  on  the  cheeks,  nose,, 
and  forehead,  before  going  to  bed.  This  must 
remain  all  night,  protecting  the  face  by  a  soft 


THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

handkerchief,  or  bits  of  lawn  laid  over  the 
parts  on  which  the  paste  is  applied.  Wash  it 
off  with  warm  water,  wetting  the  surface  with 
a  sponge,  and  letting  it  soften  while  dressing 
the  hair  or  finishing  one's  bath.  Repeat 
nightly  till  the  skin  grows  perfectly  fine  and 
soft,  which  should  be  in  three  weeks,  after 
which  it  will  be  enough  to  use  it  once  a  week. 
Always  wash  the  face  with  warm  water  and 
mild  soap,  rubbing  on  a  little  cold  cream  when 
exposing  one's  self  to  the  weather.  This  paste 
was  used  by  the  Romans.  With  this,  care 
must  be  taken  to  bathe  daily  in  warm  water, 
using  soap  freely,  toning  the  system  with  a 
cold  plunge  afterward,  if  one  can  bear  it. 

For  pimples  use  this  recipe  :  thirty-six  grains 
of  bicarbonate  of  soda,  one  drachm  of  glycer- 
ine, one  ounce  of  spermaceti  ointment.  Hub 
on  the  face ;  let  it  remain  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  and  wipe  off  all  but  a  slight  film  with  a 
soft  cloth. 

The  best  wash  for  the  complexion  given  is 
cascarilla  powder,  two  grains;  muriate  of  am- 


WRINKLES    AND    VITRIOL.  75 

monia,  two  grains ;  emulsion  of  almonds,  eight 
ounces :  apply  with  fine  linen.  The  frightful 
discoloration  known  as  maslz  is  removed  by  a 
wash  made  from  thirty  grains  of  the  chlorate 
of  potash  in  eight  ounces  of  rose-water.  Wrin- 
kles are  less  apparent  under  a  kind  of  varnish 
containing  thirty-six  grains  of  turpentine  in 
three  drachms  of  alcohol,  allowed  to  dry  on 
the  face.  The  black  worms  called  comedones 
call  forth  the  simple  specific  of  thirty-six  grains 
of  subcarbonate  of  soda  in  eight  ounces  of  dis- 
tilled water,  perfumed  with  six  drachms  of  es- 
sence of  roses.  But  I  prefer  the  advice  of  a 
clever  home  physician,  who  lately  told  me  that 
he  removed  comedones  from  the  faces  of  girls 
who  applied  to  him  for  the  purpose  by  touch- 
ing the  head  of  each  with  a  fine  hair-pencil 
dipped  in  acetic  acid — a  nice  operation,  as  the 
acid  must  only  touch  the  black  spot,  or  it  will 
eat  the  skin.  Remembering  that  Lady  Mary 
Wortley  Montagu  quoted  the  habit  of  Italian 
ladies  to  renew  and  refine  their  complexions 

by  a  wash  of  vitriol,  I  begged  to  know  how 
6 


76  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

such  a  heroic  application  could  safely  be  made. 
The  answer  was  that  muriatic  acid,  sixty  per 
cent,  strong,  diluted  in  twelve  parts  of  water, 
might  be  used  as  a  wash,  and  gradually  eat 
away  the  coarse  outer  envelope  of  the  skin,  if 
any  one  had  fortitude  to  bear  a  slow  cautery 
like  this.  Lady  Mary  records  that  she  had  to 
shut  herself  up  most  of  a  week,  and  her  face 
meantime  was  blistered  shockingly ;  but  after- 
ward the  Italian  ladies  assured  her  that  her 
Complexion  was  vastly  improved.  On  the 
whole,  the  typhoid  fever  is  preferable  as  au 
agent  for  clearing  the  complexion,  being  per- 
haps less  dangerous  and  more  effective. 


GHLNING   PALLOR.  77 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Shining  Pallor. — Lustrous  Faces. — Golden  Freckles. — Ti- 
ger-Lily Spots.  —  Sun  Photographs.  —  Nitre  Removes 
Freckles.— Old  English  Prescription. — For  Yachting. — 
Almond-Oil. — Buttermilk  as  a  Cosmetic. — Rosemary  and 
Glycerine. — Lotion  for  Prickly  Heat. — For  Musquitoes. — 
Protecting  Hair  from  Sea  Air. — Fashionable  Gray  Hair. 
— Dark  Eyes  and  Silver  Hair. — To  Restore  Dark  Hair. 
— Bandoline.  —  Cold  Cream.  —  Almond  Pomade.  —  For 
Skin  Diseases. — Sulphurous  Acid. 

THE  summer  heats,  which  make  nature  love- 
ly, are  the  bane  of  our  fair-skinned  Northern 
girls.  Southern  frames  receive  the  glowing 
warmth,  and  grow  paler  and  paler,  because — 
giving  a  matter-of-fact  explanation  of  a  beau- 
tiful appearance — the  surface  of  the  skin  is 
cooled  by  the  perspiration,  and  the  blood  re- 
treats to  the  central  veins.  The  "  shining  pal- 
lor'' which  poets  love  on  the  faces  of  their 
favorite  creations  is  the  sign  and  effect  of  con- 
centrated passion  of  any  kind  in  a  quick,  elec- 


78  THE    UGLY-GIKL    PAPERS. 

trie  nature.  I  disbelieved  in  the  expression  a 
long  time,  classing  it  with  the  "marble  flush" 
and  such  freaks  of  nature  in  novels ;  but  the 
peculiar  look  has  come  under  my  eye  more 
than  once.  It  is  a  very  striking  one,  as  if  the 
light  came  from  within — a  lustrous,  elevated 
expression,  too  ethereal  and  of  the  spirit  to  be 
merely  high-bred.  It  is  one  of  the  refine- 
ments Nature  gives  to  her  ideal  pieces  of  hu- 
manity, and  nothing  coarse  lurks  in  the  crea- 
tion of  the  one  who  presents  it.  The  South- 
ern pallor  is  quite  different — a  dead  but  clear 
olive,  very  admirable  when  the  skin  is  line. 
Northern  paleness  is  relieved  rather  than  dis- 
figured by  a  few  golden  freckles.  They  are 
more  piquant  than  otherwise ;  and  girls  with 
the  pure  complexion  wrhich  attends  auburn, 
blonde,  and  brown  hair  ought  to  consider  them 
as  caprices  of  nature  to  blend  the  hues  of 
bright,  warm  hair  and  snowy  skin.  When  as 
large,  and  almost  as  dark  as  the  patches  on  the 
tiger-lily,  every  one  will  find  them  something 
to  get  rid  of  with  dispatch.  Freckles  indicate 


ENGLISH    CUCUMBER    COSMETIC.  79 

an  excess  of  iron  in  the  blood,  the  sun  acting 
on  the  particles  in  the  skin  as  it  does  on  indel- 
ible ink,  bringing  out  the  color.  A  very  sim- 
ple way  of  removing  them  is  said  to  be  as  fol- 
lows: 

Take  finely  powdered  nitre  (saltpetre),  and 
apply  it  to  the  freckles  by  the  finger  moistened 
with  water  and  dipped  in  the  powder.  When 
perfectly  done  and  judiciously  repeated,  it  will 
remove  them  effectually  without  trouble. 

An  old  English  prescription  for  the  skin 
is  to  take  half  a  pint  of  blue  skim-milk, 
slice  into  it  as  much  cucumber  as  it  will 
cover,  and  let  it  stand  an  hour;  then  bathe 
the  face  and  hands,  washing  them  off  with 
fair  water  when  the  cucumber  extract  is  dry. 
The  latter  is  said  to  stimulate  the  growth 
of  hair  where  it  is  lacking,  if  well  and  fre- 
quently rubbed  in.  It  would  be  worth  while 
to  apply  it  to  high  foreheads  and  bald  crowns. 

Rough  skins,  from  exposure  to  the  wind  in 
riding,  rowing,  or  yachting,  trouble  many  la- 
dies, who  will  be  glad  to  know  that  an  appli- 


80          THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

cation  of  cold  cream  or  glycerine  at  night, 
washed  off  with  fine  carbolic  soap  in  the  morn- 
ing, will  render  them  presentable  at  the  break- 
fast-table, without  looking  like  women  who 
follow  the  hounds,  blowzy  and  burned.  The 
simplest  way  to  obviate  the  bad  effects  of  too 
free  sun  and  wind,  which  are  apt  on  occasion 
to  revenge  themselves  for  the  neglect  too  oft- 
en shown  them  by  the  fair  sex,  is  to  rnb  the 
face,  throat,  and  arms  well  with  cold  cream  or 
pure  almond-oil  before  going  out.  With  this 
precaution  one  may  come  home  from  a  berry- 
party  or  a  sail  without  a  trace  of  that  ginger- 
bread effect  too  apt  to  follow  those  pleasures. 
Cold  cream  made  from  almond-oil,  with  no 
lard  or  tallow  about  it,  will  answer  every  end 
proposed  by  the  use  of  buttermilk,  a  favorite 
country  prescription,  but  one  which  young  la- 
dies can  hardly  prefer  as  a  cosmetic  on  ac- 
count of  its  odor. 

A  delicate  and  effective  preparation  for 
rough  skins,  eruptive  diseases,  cuts,  or  ulcers  is 
found  in  a  mixture  of  one  ounce  of  glycerine, 


CAKBOLIC   BALM.  81 

half  an  ounce  of  rosemary-water,  and  twenty 
drops  of  carbolic  acid.  In  those  dreaded  irri- 
tations of  the  skin  occurring  in  summer,  such 
as  hives  or  prickly  heat,  this  wash  gives  sooth- 
ing relief.  The  carbolic  acid  neutralizes  the 
poison  of  the  blood,  purifies  and  disinfects  the 
eruption,  and  heals  it  rapidly.  A  solution  of 
this  acid,  say  fifty  drops  to  an  ounce  of  the 
glycerine,  applied  at  night,  forms  a  protection 
from  musquitoes.  Though  many  people  con- 
sider the  remedy  equal  to  the  disease,  constant 
use  very  soon  reconciles  one  to  the  creosotic 
odor  of  the  carbolic  acid,  especially  if  the  pure 
crystallized  form  is  used,  which  is  far  less  over- 
powering in  its  fragrance  than  the  common 
sort.  Those  who  dislike  it  too  much  to  use 
it  at  night,  will  find  the  sting  of  the  bites  al- 
most miraculously  cured  and  the  blotches  re- 
moved by  touching  them  with  the  mixture  in 
the  morning.  This  is  penned  with  grateful 
recollection  of  its  efficiency  after  the  bites  of 
Jersey  musquitoes  a  few  nights  ago.  Babies 
and  children  should  be  touched  with  it  in  re- 


THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

duced  form,  to  relieve  the  pain  they  feel  from 
insect  bites,  but  do  not  know  how  to  express 
except  by  worrying.  Two  or  three  drops  of 
attar  of  roses  in  the  preparation  disguises  the 
smell  so  as  to  render  it  tolerable  to  human  be- 
ings, though  not  so  to  musquitoes. 

Ladies  who  find  that  sea  air  turns  their  hair 
gray,  or  who  are  fearful  of  such  a  result,  should 
keep  it  carefully  oiled  with  some  vegetable  oil ; 
not  glycerine,  as  that  combines  with  water  too 
readily  to  protect  the  locks.  The  recipe  for 
cold  cream  made  with  more  of  the  almond-oil, 
so  as  to  form  a  salve,  is  not  a  bad  sea-dressing 
for  the  hair,  and  the  spermaceti  and  wax  ren- 
der it  less  greasy  than  ordinary  preparations. 
Animal  pomades  grow  rancid,  and  make  the 
head  most  unpleasant  to  touch  and  smell. 

Many  preparations  are  given  to  restore  the 
color  to  dark  hair  when  it  is  lost  through  ill 
health  or  over-study.  The  fashionables  to- 
day, with  true  taste,  admire  gray  hair  when  in 
profusion,  and  deem  it  distinguished  when  ac- 
companied by  dark  eyes,  to  which  the  contrast 


TRAGACANTH   AND    ROSE-WATER.  83 

adds  a  piercing  lustre.  But  those  who  consider 
themselves  defrauded  of  their  natural  tints  may 
use  this  recipe :  Tincture  of  acetate  of  iron, 
one  ounce ;  water,  one  pint ;  glycerine,  half  an 
ounce;  sulphuret  of  potassium,  five  grains. 
Mix  well,  and  let  the  bottle  remain  uncovered 
to  pass  out  the  foul  smell  arising  from  the  po- 
tassium. Afterward  add  a  few  drops  of  am- 
bergris or  attar  of  roses.  Rub  a  little  of  this 
daily  into  the  hair,  which  it  will  restore  to  its 
original  color,  and  benefit  the  health  of  the 
scalp. 

Ladies  are  annoyed  by  the  tendency  of  their 
hair  to  come  out  of  crimp  or  curl  while  boat- 
ing or  horseback-riding.  The  only  help  is  to 
apply  the  following  bandoline  before  putting 
the  hair  in  papers  or  irons :  A  quarter  of  an 
ounce  of  gurn-tragacantli,  one  pint  of  rose-wa- 
ter, five  drops  of  glycerine ;  mix  and  let  stand 
overnight.  If  the  tragacanth  is  not  dissolved, 
let  it  be  half  a  day  longer;  if  too  thick,  add 
more  rose-water,  and  let  it  be  for  some  hours. 
When  it  is  a  smooth  solution,  nearly  as  thin  as 


84          THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

glycerine,  it  is  fit  to  use.  This  is  excellent  foi 
making  the  hair  curl.  Moisten  a  lock  of  hair 
with  it,  not  too  wet,  and  brush  round  a  warm 
curling-iron,  or  put  up  in  papillotes.  If  the 
curl  come  out  harsh  and  stiff,  brush  it  round 
a  cold  iron  or  curling-stick  with  a  very  little 
of  the  cosmetic  for  keeping  stray  hair  in  place, 
or  cold  cream.  To  the  recipe  given  in  the  last 
chapter  another  is  added,  of  perhaps  finer  pro- 
portions: Oil  of  sweet  almonds,  five  parts; 
spermaceti,  three  parts ;  white  wax,  half  a  part ; 
attar  of  roses,  three  to  five  drops.  Melt  togeth- 
er in  a  shallow  dish,  over  hot  water,  strain 
through  a  piece  of  muslin  when  melted,  and 
as  it  begins  to  cool  beat  it  with  a  silver  spoon 
till  quite  cold  and  of  a  snowy  whiteness.  It 
is  well  to  rub  it  smooth  on  a  slab  of  marble 
or  porcelain  before  putting  in  glass  boxes  to 
keep.  For  the  hair  use  seven  parts  of  almond- 
oil  to  the  other  proportions  named.  The  se- 
cret of  making  tine  cold  cream  lies  in  stirring 
and  beating  it  well  all  the  time  it  is  cooling. 
Those  who  have  the  misfortune  to  contract 


THE    LAST   EESORT.  85 

cutaneous  disorders  arising  from  exposure  to 
the  contact  of  the  low  and  degraded  —  and 
charitable  persons  sometimes  run  narrow  risks 
of  this  kind — or  from  scorbutic  affections  or 
the  fumes  of  certain  medicines,  each  and  any  of 
which  are  liable  to  produce  roughness  and  in- 
flammation of  the  skin,  will  be  glad  of  a  speedy 
and  certain  cure  for  their  affliction.  It  is  a 
wash  of  sulphurous  acid  (not  sulphuric),  diluted 
in  the  proportion  of  three  parts  of  soft  water 
to  one  of  the  acid,  and  used  three  or  four  times 
a  day  till  relieved.  I  knew  a  young  lady 
whose  fine  complexion  was  ruined  by  the 
fumes  of  medicine  she  administered  to  her 
grandmother,  whom  she  tended  with,  religious 
care ;  and,  thinking  there  may  be  others  in 
like  case,  hasten  to  give  this  prescription.  Sufi 
rosa — all  parasites  on  furniture,  human  beings, 
or  pets  are  quickly  destroyed  by  this  applica- 
tion. 


86  THE   UGLY-GIEt,   PAPERS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Service  of  Beauty. — Not  for  Vanity,  but  Perfection. — Eye- 
brows of  Petrarch's  Laura. — Fashionable  Baths. — Trim- 
ming the  Eyelashes. — Luxury  of  the  Toilet. — Its  Magnet- 
ic Influence. — A  Safe  Stimulant. — Amateurs  of  the  Toi- 
let.—Cosmetic  Gloves.— To  Refine  the  Skin  of  the  Shoul- 
ders and  Arms. — Sulphate  of  Quinine  for  the  Hair. — For 
the  Eyebrows  and  Eyelashes. — A  Harmless  Dye. — To  Re- 
move Sallowness. — A  Hint  for  Stout  People. — Perfumed 
Bathing-powder. 

IT  is  a  wonder  that  so  few  educated  people 
address  themselves  to  the  service  of  beauty  in 
the  human  form.  It  is  refined  to  study  dra- 
peries or  design  costumes  for  the  adornment 
of  the  body,  but  not  to  develop  the  perfection 
of  the  body  itself.  Hair-dressers,  perfumers, 
and  tailors  find  ample  consolation  for  being 
the  ninth  part  of  men,  or  something  less,  in 
public  estimation,  since  the  world  finds  their- 
work  a  necessity,  and  amply  repays  it.  Who 
make  fortunes  faster  among  the  working-classes 


LUXURIOUS    BATHS.  87 

than  those  who  minister  to  the  desire  for 
beauty,  let. us  call  it,  rather  than  the  severer 
name  of  vanity?  The  arts  of  the  toilet  are 
advanced  to  the  rank  of  a  profession  abroad. 
English  fashion  journals  declare  this  in  their 
advertisements.  Establishments  in  London 
and  at  fashionable  watering-places  offer  bright- 
ly furnished  parlors  where  one  may  enjoy  the 
luxurious  soothing  of  every  appliance  of  the 
toilet  in  succession.  The  warm  bath,  in  all 
the  appealing  pleasure  of  marble,  porcelain, 
and  gold,  instead  of  dingy  oil  -  cloths  and 
reeking  zinc  basins,  gives  place  to  the  deft 
hands  of  the  hair-bather  and  the  chiropodist, 
and  these  to  the  dresser,  who  arranges  the 
locks,  quickly  and  artificially  dried,  in  the 
most  elegantly  simple  style.  Then  comes  the 
cosmetic  artist,  who  removes  blotches  and 
specks  from  the  face  with  quick  acids,  laves 
it  with  soothing  washes,  or  applies  emollient 
pastes  which  leave  soft  freshness  behind.  The 
vulgarity  of  paint  and  enamel  is  not  allowed 
in  these  establishments,  though  the  operators 


88  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

have  good  knowledge  of  all  secrets  of  their 
art.  Innoxious  dyes  are  used  as  novices  never 
can  apply  them,  superfluous  hairs  are  removed, 
and  eyebrows  and  eyelashes  are  cared  for  by 
the  most  skillful  hands.  The  former  have  ev- 
ery unnecessary  hair  removed,  and  are  thinned 
to  the  penciled  line  they  form  in  the  portraits 
of  Venetian  ladies,  who  secured  this  peculiar 
charm  in  the  same  way.  If  I  could  only  find 
out  how  Petrarch's  Laura  trimmed  her  eye- 
brows, and  give  the  method  to  my  readers ! 

With  a  pair  of  fairy-like  scissors  the  lashes 
are  trimmed  a  hair-breadth,  and  brushed  with 
sable  pencils  conveying  an  ointment  which  in- 
creases their  growth.  The  nails  are  polished, 
and  the  hands  indued  with  soft  and  perfumed 
oils  which  leave  no  trace.  Picture  the  luxury 
of  such  a  place  and  such  attention,  instead  of 
the  frowzy  rooms  and  careless  servants  of  a 
common  hair-dressing  saloon  !  The  magnetic 
benefit  of  such  operations  ought  to  count  for 
much  in  elegant  physical  culture.  It. unmis- 
takably soothes  the  system,  and  freshens  its 


GIKLS    HELPING    EACH    OTHER.  89 

powers  better  than  any  narcotic  stimulant. 
More  than  one  of  the  most  brilliant  writers  of 
the  time  is  in  the  habit  of  bathing  and  mak- 
ing a  full  toilet  before  composition,  feeling 
its  magic  influence  on  the  mind  in  rendering 
one's  thoughts  bright  and  happy. 

But  blessed  water  and  simples,  chemicals 
and  strokings,  do  their  work  in  stone-ware  and 
top  bedrooms  as  well  as  in  baths  lined  with 
porcelain  behind  the  portiere  of  a  Pompadour 
dressing-room.  Clever  girls  can  do  much  for 
each  other  in  these  matters ;  and  let  me  hope 
no  one  will  have  to  ask  more  than  sixteen  peo- 
ple before  finding  a  friend  with  nerve  enough 
to  trim  her  eyelashes  for  her,  as  an  ambitious 
maiden  once  did.  A  fresh  handful  of  pre- 
scriptions for  these  amateurs  is  taken  from 
Paris  authorities. 

Cosmetic  gloves  for  which  there  is  such 
demand  are  spread  inside  with  the  following 
preparation :  The  yolks  of  two  fresh  eggs 
beaten  with  two  teaspoonfuls  of  the  oil  of 
sweet  almonds^  one  ounce  of  rose-water,  and 


90  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPEK8. 

thirty-six  drops  of  tincture  of  benzoin.  Make  a 
paste  of  this,  and  either  anoint  the  gloves  with 
it,  or  spread  it  freely  on  the  hands  and  draw 
the  gloves  on  afterward.  Of  course  there  is  no 
virtue  in  the  gloves  save  as  they  protect  the 
hands  from  drying  or  soiling  the  bed-linen. 

A  paste  for  the  skin  of  the  shoulders  and 
arms  is  made  from  the  whites  of  four  eggs 
boiled  in  rose-water,  with  the  addition  of  a 
grain  or  two  of  alum,  beaten  till  thick.  Spread 
this  on  the  skin  and  cover  with  old  linen. 
Wear  it  overnight,  or  all  the  afternoon  before 
a  party  where  one  desires  to  appear  in  full 
dress.  This  cosmetic  gives  great  firmness  and 
purity  to  the  skin,  and  may  be  used  to  ad- 
vantage by  persons  having  soft,  flabby  flesh. 

A  wash  to  stimulate  the  growth  of  hair  in 
case  of  baldness  is  made  from  equal  parts  of 
the  tincture  of  sulphate  of  quinine  and  aro- 
matic tincture. 

For  causing  the  eyebrows  to  grow  when 
lost  by  fire,  use  the  sulphate  of  quinine — five 
grains  in  an  ounce  of  alcohol. 


HARMLESS   HAIR   DYE.  91 

For  the  eyelashes,  five  grains  of  the  sulphate 
in  an  ounce  of  sweet  almond-oil  is  the  best 
prescription ;  put  on  the  roots  of  the  lashes 
with  the  finest  sable  pencil.  This  must  be 
lightly  applied,  for  it  irritates  the  eye  to  fin- 
ger it. 

The  best  dye  is  this  French  recipe,  which  is 
seen  to  be  harmless  at  a  glance :  Melt  togeth- 
er, in  a  bowl  set  in  boiling  water,  four  ounces 
of  white  wax  in  nine  ounces  of  olive-oil,  stir- 
ring in,  when  melted  and  mixed,  two  ounces 
of  burned  cork  in  powder.  This  will  not  take 
the  dull  bluish  tinge  of  metallic  dyes,  but 
gives  a  lustrous  blackness  to  the  hair  like  life. 
To  apply  it,  put  on  old  gloves,  cover  the  shoul- 
ders carefully  to  protect  the  dress,  and  spread 
the  salvy  preparation  like  pomade  on  the  head, 
brushing  it  well  in  and  through  the  hair.  It 
changes  the  color  instantly,  as  it  is  a  black 
dressing  rather  than  a  dye.  A  brown  tint 
may  be  given  by  steeping  an  ounce  of  walnut 
bark,  tied  in  coarse  close  muslin,  in  the  oil  for 
a  week  before  boiling.  The  bark  is  to  be  had 


92  THE   UGLY -GIRL    PAPI^RS. 

at  any  large  drug-store,  for  about  thirty  cents 
an  ounce. 

The  recipes  which  follow  will  be  of  special 
value  in  the  warm  days  of  early  spring.  The 
first  contains  nearly  all  the  vegetable  medi- 
cines in  common  use  for  purifying  the  blood, 
and  will  prevent  the  lassitude  and  bilious 
symptoms  which  overcloud  many  a  sweet 
spring  day.  When  made  by  one's  own  hand, 
so  that  the  purity  and  excellence  of  the  ingre- 
dients can  be  insured,  the  mixture  is  far  bet- 
ter than  most  of  the  blood-purifiers  and  tonics 
prescribed  by  the  faculty.  It  is  given  here 
because  it  removes  the  sallowness  and  un- 
healthy iris  hues  of  the  complexion  at  a  sea- 
son when  a  girl's  cheek  should  wear  its  bright- 
est, clearest  flame. 

Half  an  ounce  each  of  spruce,  hemlock,  and 
sarsaparilla  bark,  dandelion,  burdock,  and  yel- 
low dock,  in  one  gallon  of  water ;  boil  half  an 
hour,  strain  hot,  and  add  ten  drops  of  oil  of 
spruce  and  sassafras  mixed.  When  cold,  add 
half  a  pound  of  brown  sugar  and  half  a  cup 


SASSAFRAS   FOR   EMBONPOINT.  93 

of  yeast,  Let  it  stand  twelve  hours  in  a  jar 
covered  tight,  and  bottle.  Use  this  freely  as 
an  iced  drink.  This  is  a  good  recipe  for  the 
root  beer  which  New  -  Yorkers  like  to  taste 
during  warm  months. 

People  inclined- to  embonpoint  feel  the  bur- 
den of  mortality  oppressive  during  the  first 
heats  of  the  calendar.  They  will  be  glad  to 
hear  from  a  hill-country  doctor,  whose  praise 
is  in  many  households,  that  a  strong  decoction 
of  sassafras  drank  frequently  will  reduce  the 
flesh  as  rapidly  as  any  remedy  known.  Take 
it  either  iced  or  hot,  as  fancied,  with  sugar  if 
preferred.  It  is  not  advisable,  however,  to 
take  this  tea  in  certain  states  of  health,  and 
the  family  physician  should  be  consulted  be- 
fore taking  it.  A  strong  infusion  is  made  at 
the  rate  of  an  ounce  of  sassafras  to  a  quart  of 
water.  Boil  it  half  an  hour  very  slowly,  and 
let  it  stand  till  cold,  heating  again  if  desired, 
and  keeping  it  from  the  air. 

A  trouble  scarcely  to  be  named  among  re- 
fined persons  is  profuse  perspiration,  which 


94  THE    UGLY  -  GIRI/  PAPERS. 

ruins  clothing  and  comfort  alike.  For  this  it 
is  recommended  to  bathe  the  feet,  hands,  and 
parts  of  the  body  where  the  secretion  is  great- 
est with  cold  infusion  of  rosemary,  sage, 
or  thyme,  and  afterward  dust  the  stockings 
and  under-garinents  with  a  mixture  of  two 
and  a  half  drachms  of  camphor,  four  ounces 
of  orris-root,  and  sixteen  ounces  of  starch,  the 
whole  reduced  to  impalpable  powder.  Tie  it 
in  a  coarse  muslin  bag,  and  shake  it  over  the 
clothes.  This  makes  a  very  fine  bathing-pow- 
der. 


TRANSFORMATION    OF   PLAIN    WOMEN.         95 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Hope  for  Homely  People.— Two  Vital  Charms.— The  Way 
to  Live. — Sunrise  and  Open  Air. — Bleached  by  the  Dawn. 
— Live  at  Sunny  Windows. — In  Balconies  and  Parks. — 
Christiana's  Breakfast. — Brown  Steak  and  Good-humor. 
— True  Bread. — Device  for  Stiff  Shoulders. — Corsets  and 
Girdles. — The  Latter  more  Needed. — How  to  be  Pleased 
with  One's  Self. 

Is  there  such  a  being  as  a  hopelessly  home- 
ly woman  ?  In  the  light  of  modern  appliances, 
study  the  faces  and  figures  one  meets  on  a 
journey  from  the  sea-board  to  the  interior, 
and  confess  that  there  are  few  fatally  ugly 
women.  On  the  railway  I  often  amuse  my- 
self, in  default  of  better  things,  by  consider- 
ing how  hygiene,  cosmetics,  and  good  taste  in 
dress  would  transform  the  common-looking 
women  about  one  into  charming  and  even 
striking  personages.  In  most  of  them,  all  that 
is  wanting  is  strength  of  expression  and  a  clear 


96  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

complexion,  two  tilings  with  which  no  woman 
can  be  wholly  unattractive.  The  one  is  the 
sign  of  mental,  the  other  of  physical  health. 
No  wonder  nature  makes  them  so  winning. 
To  show  what  I  mean,  let  ns  mention  some 
common  faults,  and  their  antidotes.  Nothing- 
is  more  delightful  than  pulling  our  neighbors 
to  pieces,  with  a  good  motive  for  it. 

Christiana  is  over  thirty — no  reason  in  the 
least  why  she  should  not  be  as  admired  as  a 
three  days'  rose,  for  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
women  in  New  York,  whom  every  one  is  in- 
fatuated with,  is  over  sixty.  Yet  nobody  thinks 
of  Christiana's  looks,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  she  has  given  np  thinking  of  them  her- 
self— believing  her  poor  skin  can  not  be  im- 
proved, nor  the  stiff,  high  carriage  of  her 
shoulders  be  changed.  The  depth  of  her  eyes 
and  her  really  good  color  are  lost  with  these 
defects.  To  judge  how  the  remedies  should 
be  applied,  scrutinize  her  entire  mode  of  liv- 
ing. Sunrise,  in  January  or  June,  and  she  is 
not  np!  This  will  never  serve  a  candidate 


OPEN    AIR   AT   SUNKISE.  97 

for  beauty.  The  first  rays  of  the  sun,  the 
purity  of  early  air,  have  as  potent  an  effect 
on  the  complexion  as  the  noon*  rays  on  the 
webs  of  linen  in  the  bleaching -ground.  By 
all  means,  if  one  must  rob  daylight  for  sleep, 
take  the  hours  from  ten  to  three,  but  see  the 
fires  in  the  east  from  out-of-doors,  even  if  your 
head  touched  the  pillow  only  two  hours  be- 
fore. I  don't  believe  in  any  special  morality  in 
getting  up  early,  but  I  do  know  its  benefits 
on  nerves  and  circulation  of  the  blood.  There 
is  a  tonic  in  the  dew-cool  air,  a  lingering  of 
wight's  romance,  that  stirs  while  it  soothes  the 
blood  like  a  fine  magnetic  hand. 

But  getting  up  and  staying  in  the  house 
won't  improve  one's  complexion.  How  much 
of  her  rose-and-lily  face  the  English  peasant 
\voiiwn  owes  to  her  walk  to  the  reaping-field 
at  daybreak  is  well  known.  After  the  first 
soft  days  of  February  and  March  there  is  noth- 
ing to  hinder  Christiana  from  reading  her 
prayer-book  or  morning  paper  on  the  porch  in 
the  sunlight,  if  she  choose  to  do  this  rather 


98  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

than  rake  the  dead  leaves  from  the  grass, 
sweep  the  steps,  or  do  something  to  stir  her 
laggard  blood.  If  it  is  cold,  let  her  plant  her- 
self at  the  sunniest  window,  sew,  run  her  ma- 
chine, lounge,  and  eat  there,  till  she  is  no  more 
afraid  of  sunshine  than  of  any  other  blood  re- 
lation. Our  women  want  to  imitate  French 
sense,  and  sit  in  the  balconies  and  parks  to  do 
their  work.  When  they  lose  the  detestable 
vice  of  self-consciousness  that  saps  American 
well-being  in  all  ways,  they  will  be  able  to 
live  at  their  casements,  sewing,  singing,  read- 
ing, as  thoughtless  and  unnoticed  as  the  white 
doves  soaring  above  them  where  the  sunshine 
is  widest.  It  is  matter  of  custom  merely. 

But  Christiana's  breakfast  is  ready  by  this 
time,  and  we  will  see  what  she  eats.  Coffee : 
well,  housekeepers  buy  the  ready-ground  cof- 
fee now,  and  it  is  mixed  trash,  wanting  the 
heartiness  of  a  good  pure  cup,  but  no  great 
harm  at  worst.  Meat:  do  you  call  that  bit 
the  width  of  two  fingers,  crisped,  greased  at 
one  end,  raw  and  bleeding  at  the  other,  fit 


MATERIALS   OF   BEAUTY.  99 

tenance  for  a  woman  who  is  to  grow,  work, 
walk,  dance,  and  sing  to-day  ?  She  is  made  to 
live  neither  on  leather  nor  raw  meat.  Cook  a 
slice  of  thick  beef -steak  as  quickly  as  possible 
till  the  color  is  changed  all  the  way  through 
without  drying  any  of  the  juice.  The  albu- 
men of  the  blood  must  be  coagulated  before 
meat  is  fit  for  human  stomachs,  and  proper 
cooking  means  something  more  than  mere 
warming  through,  and  a  great  deal  less  than 
crisping.  Now  let  at  least  a  quarter  of  a 
pound  of  this  browned  and  fragrant  sacrifice 
be  cut  for  this  young  woman — better  if  she 
eat  half  a  pound — to  be  converted  into  ener- 
getic work  and  Christian  good-humor  in  the 
course  of  the  day.  One,  two,  three,  four  slices 
of  fried  potato  withered  in  fat !  And  this  is 
what  some  people  call  nourishment !  Put  on 
her  plate  two  baked  potatoes  of  unimpeachable 
quality  —  poor  potatoes  are  poison  —  and  let 
each  be  the  size  of  her  small  fist.  "Where  are 
the  tomatoes,  the  celery,  the  artichokes,  salads 
and  sauces  ?  She  has  tomatoes,  three  bits  in 


100  TOE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

a  tiny  saucerette,  as  if  it  held  some  East  In- 
dian condiment.  There  ought  to  be  a  saucer 
piled  with  them,  or  some  savory  vegetable  del- 
icately cooked ;  for  breakfast  ought  to  be  next 
to  the  heartiest  meal  of  the  day.  It  is  far  the 
best  way  to  take  coffee  and  bread  on  rising, 
and  eat  the  meal  later  when  one  has  worked 
into  an  appetite  for  it.  Those  who  find  it  im- 
possible to  alter  their  habits  enough  for  this 
visually  have  duties  which  ought  to  call  them 
up  long  enough  before  to  be  quite  hungry  by 
seven  or  eight  o'clock,  the  usual  hours  in  this 
country  for  breakfast. 

Take  away  that  thin  slip  of  toast;  it  makes 
one  turn  invalid  to  see  it.  What  do  you  call 
this  gray,  broad-celled,  pallid  stuff?  Bread — 
good  yeast  bread?  If  there  is  any  thing  in- 
tolerable, it  is  what  the  makers  of  it  commonly 
call  good  home-made  bread.  It  is  mealy,  or 
bitter,  or  gray  and  coarse-grained,  sad-looking, 
with  white  crust,  as  if  the  owners  were  too 
poor  to  afford  fire  to  bake  it  thoroughly.  Give 
me  poor  bread,  and  I  can  eat  it  in  a  spirit  of 


THE   RICHEST   BREAD.  101 

resignation ;  but  this  domestic  hypocrisy  of 
good  bread  libels  the  wheat  that  made  it,  and 
arraigns  the  taste  of  those  who  eat  it.  Were 
it  ever  so  good,  there  is  something  better  yet — • 
the  crisp,  unbolted  cake  that  lingers  with  nutty 
richness  on  the  palate,  once  tasting  of  which 
weans  one  from  the  impoverished  gentility 
of  white  bread  forever.  It  is  not  urged  on 
the  score  of  being  wholesome.  The  phrase  has 
been  so  much  abused  that  the  cry  of  "health- 
ful food  "  invariably  suggests  something  which 
doesn't  taste  good.  But  the  strength  and 
richness  and  coloring  of  wheat-cake  recom- 
mend it  to  any  breakfast  fancier.  There  is 
no  use  aiming  at  fine-grained  complexions 
without  the  use  of  coarse  bread  at  every  meal, 
A  slice  of  Graham  bread  at  breakfast  will 
not  counteract  the  evil  tendencies  of  incorrect 
diet  the  rest  of  the  day.  When  you  get  your 
coarse  bread,  two  or  three  slices  will  not  be 
too  much  at  a  meal.  Such  ought  to  be  the 
breakfast  of  a  young  lady  who  wishes  to  have 
roundness  of  contour,  unfailing  spirits,  and  self- 


102  THE    UGLY-GIEL   PAPERS. 

command,  with  ready  strength  for  walking, 
working,  or  study.  Brain- work  takes  food  as 
much  as  bodily  labor.  Between  Mrs.  OTla- 
herty  in  the  laundry  and  the  faithful  lady  editor 
of  a  newspaper,  it  is  probable  that  the  former 
has  the  easiest  time  of  it,  and  uses  less  strength. 
The  women  worth  any  thing  are  built  and 
sustained  by  hearty  feeding.  It  is  so  that  sing- 
ers and  dancers  eat,  and  lecturers  and  authors 
— Grisi  and  Jenny  Lind,  Mrs.  Kemble  and 
Ristori,  Mrs.  Edwards,  the  novelist,  and  with 
her  nearly  every  writer  of  note  at  this  day. 
They  are  well-nourished  women,  whose  appe- 
tites would  embarrass  the  candy-loving  sylphs 
whose  usefulness  amounts  to  nothing  more 
than  that  of  cheap  porcelain.  Women  who 
exercise  little,  of  course  eat  little ;  in  the  end 
they  can  do  nothing,  because  they  are  not 
sufficiently  fed.  There  is  no  grossness  in  eat- 
ing largely  if  one  work  well  enough  to  con- 
sume the  strength  afforded.  The  best  engines 
are  best  fed.  The  grossness  lies  in  eating  and 
being  idle.  A  woman  who  limits  her  exer- 


WOMEN   OF   THE   COAST.  103 

tions  to  a  walk  around  the  squares  daily  may 
confine  herself  to  a  slice  of  toast  and  a  strip  of 
meat.  She  will  grow  thin  and  watery-look- 
ing, nervous  and  "  high-strung,"  to  pay  for  it. 
To  know  what  charm  there  is  in  womanhood, 
go  among  the  girls  brought  up  in  villages 
along  the  coast.  The  well-poised  shoulders 
that  have  a  will  of  their  own,  the  round  arms 
and  necks,  the  profusion  of  hair,  the  strength 
and  nerve  combined  in  their  movements,  give 
one  the  idea  of  walking  statuary.  The  poor 
drooping  figures,  the  stiff  shoulders  we  com- 
plain of,  come  from  one  cause — lack  of  nutri- 
tion. Their  muscles  are  not  strong  enough  to 
hold  them  erect,  and  their  nerves  are  not  fed 
enough  to  stimulate  the  weak  muscles  to  ac- 
tivity. How  many  times  must  it  be  said  over? 
Want  of  sunshine  and  nourishing  food  gives 
the  coarse,  uninteresting  look  to  most  Ameri- 
can women. 

If  Christiana  would  invoke  mechanical  aid 
to  bring  down  her  high  shoulders  and  put  flex- 
ibility into  her  chest  muscles,  after  thirty  years 


104  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

of  abuse,  it  is  easily  done.  Walking  with  a 
pail  of  water  in  each  hand  is  rather  dull  work 
unless  there  is  a  call  for  domestic  help.  A 
homely  but  very  effectual  way  of  educating 
the  muscles  is  to  wear  weights  fastened  to  the 
shoulders.  A  shawl-strap  answers  every  pur- 
pose, buckled  on  the  shoulders  with  the  handle 
between  them  on  the  back,  and  fastening  a 
flat-iron  of  five  or  six  pounds'  weight  to  the 
straps  which  hang  under  the  arms.  An  extra 
buckle  may  be  sewed  half-way  down  each 
strap,  to  fasten  the  iron  on  the  end  by  a  second 
loop.  The  weights  may  be  worn  while  read- 
ing or  writing  for  hours,  and  will  be  found 
rather  agreeable  to  balance  the  stooping  pro- 
pensity by  throwing  the  stress  on  fresh  mus- 
cles. With  or  without  it,  nine  tenths  of  women 
from  eighteen  years  old  upward  will  need  an- 
other simple  support  to  relieve  the  muscles  of 
the  trunk  below  the  waist.  It  matters  little 
what  causes  this  feebleness,  whether  too  hard 
work,  the  weight  of  skirts,  or  degeneration  of 
the  muscular  fibre  from  want  of  exercise  and 


LINEN    GIRDLES.  105 

lack  of  fresh  air.  Its  relief  is  imperative  to 
preserve  bloom  and  life  of  any  kind  worth 
calling  life.  If  any  girl  or  woman  can  not 
dalice,  run  up  stairs,  take  long  walks,  or  stand 
about  the  house-work,  no  matter  how  slight 
the  fatigue,  support  must  be  provided.  Wom- 
en wear  corsets,  and  say  they  can  not  exist 
without  them,  when  the  demand  for  aid  of 
the  relaxed  muscles  of  the  hips  and  back, 
though  far  more  imperative,  is  neglected.  The 
means  are  very  simple :  a  bandage  of  linen 
toweling,  soft  and  cool,  buckled,  tied,  or  pin- 
ned, as  tight  as  will  be  comfortable,  and  so 
arranged  as  to  relieve  every  muscle  that  feels 
fatigue.  This  is  worth  all  the  manufactured 
appliances  in  the  market,  and  its  prompt  use 
averts  a  hundred  distressing  consequences.  At 
the  first  approach  of  debility  these  girdles 
should  be  worn,  as  they  have  been  from  an- 
cient times  among  Greek  and  Jewish  women. 
It  is  not  sure  that  their  office  of  prevention  is 
not  more  essential  than  that  of  cure.  Tight 
corsets  are  an  abomination,  for  they  interfere 


106         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

with  flexibility,  and  so  with  that  constant  ex- 
ercise of  the  trunk  muscles  which  alone  can 
keep  them  in  tone — keep  them  from  degenera- 
tion and  atrophy.  As  to  the  muscles  of  the 
back  and  abdomen  affected  by  the  girdle,  a 
degree  of  support  just  sufficient  to  encour- 
age them  to  their  work,  and  prevent  their 
giving  it  up  in  fatigue  and  despair,  will  exer- 
cise and  strengthen  them.  A  bandage  tighter 
than  is  needed  for  this  will  do  harm,  not 
only  by  keeping  the  muscles  idle,  and  so 
weakening  them,  but  by  compressing  the  ab- 
dominal viscera,  and  thus  producing  numer- 
ous evils. 

There  is  a  game  children  play  called  "wring 
the  towel,"  in  which  two  clasp  hands  and  whirl 
their  arms  over  their  heads  without  losing 
hold,  that  every  woman  ought  to  practice  to 
keep  her  muscles  flexible.  Hardly  any  exer- 
cise could  be  devised  which  would  give  play 
to  so  many  muscles  at  once.  A  woman  ought 
to  be  as  lithe  from  head  to  heel  as  a  willow 
wand,  not  for  the  sake  of  beauty  only,  but 


BEAUTY  THE  REWARD  OF  HEALTH.    107 

for  the  varied  duties  and  functions  she  must 
perform. 

It  would  be  an  artistic  feat  to  take  Chris- 
tiana  through  a  course  of  baths,  diet,  suri-su> 
tings,  and  open-air  walks,  to  show  her  to  her- 
self. The  oleander  glow  on  firm  cheeks,  the 
eye  of  light,  the  tread  of  Diana,  the  buoyancy 
of  body  that  fosters  buoyancy  of  mind  and 
spirits,  would  please  her  with  herself. 

How  dexterously  Nature  inserts  the  reward 
of  beauty  before  the  self-denials  needed  to 
gain  health!  A  thoroughly  healthy  woman 
never  is  unbeautif nl.  She  is  full  of  life,  and 
vivacity  shines  in  her  face  and  manner,  while 
her  magnetism  attracts  every  creature  who 
comes  within  its  influence. 


108  THE    UGLY-GIKL   PAPEES. 


CHAPTEE  5. 

The  Bonniest  Kate  in  Christendom. — A  Word  to  Mothers 
and  Aunts. — Different  Vanities. — The  Sorrows  of  Ugly 
Women. — Recipes  of  an  Ancient  Beauty. — Sand  Wash. 
— Color  for  the  Nails. — Embrocation  for  the  Hands. — 
Soap  to  Bleach  the  Arms. — Freckle  Lotions. — Artistic 
Enthusiasm  at  the  Toilet. 

WAS  the  last  chapter  too  much  of  a  sermon 
on  Christiana's  breakfast?  You  think  so, 
Kate,  who  are  longing -to  learn  some  art  that 
may  make  you  the  bonniest  Kate  in  Christen- 
dom. You  say  your  hands  are  rough  and  un- 
sightly, your  hair  grows  where  you  do  not 
want  it,  and  is  none  too  thick  where  it  ought 
to  be.  Your  eyebrows  are" bushy — a  most  un~ 
feminine  trait,  that  makes  you  look  fierce  as  a 
lamb  with  mustaches.  You  don't  seern  lovely 
to  yourself,  and  this  consciousness  makes  you 
stiff  and  shy  in  your  manner.  .  Somebody  is 
to  blame  for  this  state  of  things.  Either  your 


LOST   DOWER.  109 

mother,  or  your  aunt,  or  the  lady  principal  of 
the  school  where  you  studied,  ought  to  have 
taken  you  in  hand  before  you  were  fourteen, 
and  showed  you  the  remedies  for  these  defects 
that  were  to  affect  your  spirits  and  comfort  in 
after-life.  A  girl  should  be  taught  to  take 
care  of  her  skin  and  hair  just  as  she  is  to  hold 
her  dress  out  of  the  dust,  and  not  to  crumple 
her  sash  when  she  sits  down.  One  thing  will 
not  make  her  vain  more  than  another.  There 
are  many  vanities  to  be  found  in  women's 
character.  One  is  vain  of  knowing  three 
languages,  one  of  her  Sunday-school  devotion, 
another  of  her  pattern  temper,  and  one  of  her 
pretty  face.  Of  all  these  errors,  the  last  is 
most  endurable.  Every  attraction  filched  from 
a  girl  by  neglect  or  design  is  so  much  stolen 
from  her  dowry  that  never  can  be  replaced. 

Victor  Hugo  says  that  he  who  would  know 
suffering  should  learn  the  sorrows  of  women. 
Let  him  say  of  ugly  women,  and  he  will  touch 
the  depth  of  bitterness.  What  tears  the  plain 
ones  shed  on  silent  pillows,  shrinking  even 


110         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

from  the  pale,  beautiful  moonshine  that  con- 
trasts so  fatally  with  their  homeliness.  They 
would  give  years  of  life  to  win  one  of  beauty. 
This  regret  is  natural,  irresistible,  and  not  to 
be  forbidden.  Better  let  the  grief  have  its 
way  till  the  busy  period  of  life  takes  a  wom- 
an's thoughts  off  herself,  and  she  forgets  to 
care  whether  she  is  beautiful  or  not.  Dam 
up  the  sluices  of  any  sorrow,  and  it  deepens 
and  grows  wider.  Is  this  treating  a  peculiarly 
feminine  regret  over-tenderly  ?  This  is  writ- 
ten in  remembrance  of  a  girl  who  thought  her- 
self so  homely  that  she  absolutely  prayed  that 
she  might  die  and  go  to  be  perfect  in  heaven. 
More  than  one  girl  makes  such  a  wish  this 
night  before  small  mirrors  in  cottage  or  man- 
sion chambers,  with  no  eye  but  her  own  to 
scan  her  hopeless  features.  Why  doesn't  some 
one  open  a  school  of  fine  arts,  literally  des 
beaux-arts^  and  make  a  greater  success  than 
Worth,  by  improving  wearers  instead  of  cos- 
tumes ? 

Till  that  time  comes,  let  us  make  the  best  of 


DELICATE   HANDS.  Ill 

present  resources,  and  consider  these  recipes, 
unearthed  from  an  ancient  book-shelf  belong- 
ing to  a  maiden  lady  who  was  once,  if  tradi- 
tion may  be  credited,  a  beauty  of  no  mean  or- 
der. There  is  one  thing  to  console  us,  Kate : 
you  and  I  will  never  have  to  cry  for  our  lost 
beauty.  Your  hands  are  to  be  pitied,  for  soft, 
sensitive  lingers  are  what  a  woman  can  least 
afford  to  lose.  They  are  needed  to  nurse  sick 
folks,  and  do  quick  sewing,  and  handle  chil- 
dren with.  So  we  are  glad  to  learn  something 
of  this  kind. 

To  soften  the  hands,  fill  a  wash-basin  half 
full  of  fine  white  sand  and  soap-suds  as  hot  as 
can  be  borne.  Wash  the  hands  in  this  five 
minutes  at  a  time,  brushing  and  rubbing  them 
in  the  sand.  The  best  is  fiint  sand,  or  the 
white  powdered  quartz  sold  for  filters.  It  may 
be  used  repeatedly  by  pouring  the  water  away 
after  each  washing,  and  adding  fresh  to  keep 
it  from  blowing  about.  Rinse  in  warm  lather 
of  fine  soap,  and  after  drying  rub  them  in 
dry  bran  or  corn  meal.  Dust  them,  and  finish 


112         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPKKS. 

witli  rubbing  cold  cream  well  into  the  skin. 
This  effectually  removes  the  roughness  caused 
by  house-work,  and  should  be  used  every  day, 
first  removing  ink  or  vegetable  stains  with 
acid. 

Always  rub  the  spot  with  cold  cream  or  oil 
after  using  acid  on  the  fingers.  The  cream 
supplies  the  place  of  the  natural  oil  of  the 
skin,  which  the  acid  removes  with  the  stain. 

To  give  a  fine  color  to  the  nails,  the  hands 
and  fingers  must  be  \vell  lathered  and  washed 
with  scented  soap ;  then  the  nails  must  be 
rubbed  with  equal  parts  of  cinnabar  and  em- 
ery, followed  by  oil  of  bitter  almonds.  To 
take  white  specks  from  the  nails,  melt  equal 
parts  of  pitch  and  turpentine  in  a  small  cup ; 
add  to  it  vinegar  and  powdered  sulphur.  Rub 
this  on  the  nails,  and  the  specks  will  soon  dis- 
appear. Pitch  and  myrrh  melted  together 
may  be  used  with  the  same  results. 

An  embrocation  for  whitening  and  soften 
ing  the  hands  and  arms,  which  dates  far  back, 
possibly  to  King  James's  times,  is  made  from 


POWERFUL   APPLICATIONS.  113 

myrrh,  one  ounce ;  honey,  four  ounces ;  yel- 
low wax,  two  ounces ;  rose-water,  six  ounces. 
Mix  the  whole  in  one  w^ell-blended  mass  for 
use,  melting  the  wax,  rose-water,  and  honey 
together  in  a  dish  over  boiling  water,  and  add- 
ing the  myrrh  while  hot.  Rub  this  thickly 
over  the  skin  before  going  to  bed.  It  is  good 
for  chapped  surfaces,  and  would  make  an  ex- 
cellent mask  for  the  face. 

To  improve  the  skin  of  the  hands  and  arms, 
the  following  old  English  recipe  is  given,  the 
principle  of  which  is  now  revived  in  different 
cosmetic  combinations.  Take  two  ounces  of 
fine  hard  soap — old  Windsor  or  almond  soap 
— and  dissolve  it  in  two  ounces  of  lemon  juice. 
Add  one  ounce  of  the  oil  of  bitter  almonds, 
and  as  much  oil  of  tartar.  Mix  the  whole,  and 
stir  \vell  till  it  is  like  soap,  and  use  it  to  wash 
the  hands.  This  contains  the  most  powerful 
agents  which  can  safely  be  applied  to  the  skin, 
and  it  should  not  be  used  on  scratches  or  chap- 
ped hands.  For  the  latter  a  delicate  ointment 
is  made  from  three  ounces  of  oil  of  sweet  al 


114:  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

rnonds,  an  ounce  of  spermaceti,  and  half  an 
ounce  of  rice  flour.  Melt  these  over  a  slow 
lire,  keep  stirring  till  cold,  and  add  a  few  drops 
of  rose-oil.  This  makes  a  good  color  for  the 
lips  by  mixing  a  little  alkanet  powder  with  it, 
and  may  be  used  to  tinge  the  finger-tips.  It 
is  at  least  harmless. 

Oil  of  almonds,  spermaceti,  white  wax,  and 
white  sugar-candy,  in  equal  parts,  melted  to- 
gether, form  a  good  white  salve  for  the  lips 
and  cheeks  in  cold  weather.  A  fine  cold  cream, 
much  pleasanter  to  use  than  the  mixtures  of 
lard  and  tallow  commonly  sold  under  that 
name,  is  thus  made : 

Melt  together  two  ounces  of  oil  of  almonds 
and  one  drachm  each  of  white  wax  and  sperm- 
aceti ;  while  warm  add  two  ounces  of  rose-wa- 
ter, and  orange-flower  water  half  an  ounce. 
Nothing  better  than  this  will  be  found  in  the 
range  of  toilet  salves. 

A  wash  "  for  removing  tan,  freckles,  blotch- 
es, and  pimples,"  as  the  high-sounding  preface 
'  assures  us,  is  made  from  two  gallons  of  strong 


FRECKLE   LOTION.  115 

soap-suds,  to  which  are  added  one  pint  of  al- 
cohol and  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  rosemary. 
Apply  with  a  linen  rag.  This  is  better  when 
kept  in  a  close  jar  overnight. 

Freckle  lotion,  for  the  cure  of  freckles,  tan, 
or  sunburned  face  and  hands  —  something 
which  I  would  prefer  to  the  rosemary  wash  be- 
fore given,  is  thus  made :  Take  half  a  pound 
of  clear  ox  gall,  half  a  drachm  each  of  cam- 
phor and  burned  alum,  one  drachm  of  borax, 
two  ounces  of  rock-salt,  and  the  same  of  rock- 
candy.  This  should  be  mixed  and  shaken  wrell 
several  times  a  day  for  three  weeks,  until  the 
gall  becomes  transparent ;  then  strain  it  very 
carefully  through  filtering-paper,  which  may  be 
had  of  the  druggists.  Apply  to  the  face  dur- 
ing the  day,  and  wash  it  off  at  night. 

Now,  Kate,  do  you  see  your  way  clear  to  the 
use  and  benefit  of  these  mixtures?  All  these 
articles  are  to  be  found  at  any  large  druggist's, 
or,  if  not,  he  will  tell  you  where  to  find  them. 
The  rosemary  and  honey  may  be  found  in  that 
still  fragrant  store-room  of  your  aunt's,  in  the 


116  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

country,  unless  she  lias  taken  to  writing  very 
poor  serial  articles,  and  let  the  herb  garden  and 
the  bees  run  out.  To  save  trouble,  take  the 
recipes  and  have  them  made  up  at  once  by  the 
druggist, who  understands  such  things;  but  it 
is  pleasant  to  dabble  in  washes  and  lotions 
one's  self,  like  the  Vicar  of  Wakeh'eld's  young 
ladies.  Then  have  you  patience  to  persevere 
in  their  use  ?  For  making  one's  self  beautiful 
is  a  work  of  time  and  perseverance  as  much 
as  being  an  artist,  or  a  student,  or  a  Christian. 
I  wish  I  were  with  you,  and  could  keep  you 
up  to  your  preparations,  brush  your  eyebrows, 
trim  your  eyelashes,  and  do  the  dozen  different 
offices  of  sympathy  and  \yomanly  kindness.  I 
should  feel  that  I  was  the  artist  putting  the 
touches  on  something  more  valuable  than  any 
statue  ever  moulded.  Can  you  feel  so  your- 
self ?  For  if  you  can  once  get  hold  of  that 
artistic  impulse,  you  have  the  secret  of  all  these 
toilet  interferences. 


WITCIICEAFT    FROM    THE    WOODS.  117 


CHAPTER  XL 

A.  Dark  Potion.— Olive-oil  and  Tar  for  the  Face.— Olive- 
tar  for  Inhalation. — Carbolic  Lotion  for  Pimples. — Cure 
for  Musquito  Bites. — Pale  Blondes. — A  French  Marquise. 
-—Deepening  Colors  by  Sunlight. — Seductive  Cosmetics. — 
Nose-machine. — Finger  Thimbles. 

NEITHER  distilled  waters  perfumed  like  May, 
nor  embrocation  smoother  than  velvet,  are  this 
time  to  be  offered  you.  The  compound  in  its 
ugliness  is  more  like  a  witch's  potion,  and  the 
odor  is  generally  liked  by  those  only  who  are 
used  to  it.  But  its  merits  are  equal  to  its  ug- 
liness— nay,  so  firmly  am  I  persuaded  of  its  ef- 
fectiveness that  before  sundown  I  doubt  not 
its  virtues  will  be  in  active  test  within  this 
household.  Sea  winds  will  roughen  the  face, 
and  miscellaneous  food  deteriorate  the  soft- 
est skins.  There  are  wrinkles,  too,  showing 
their  first  faint  daring  on  the  brow  before 


118  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

the  glass  —  wrinkles  which  had  no  busi- 
ness there  for  ten  years  to  come,  at  any 
rate.  u  What  hand  shall  soothe"  their  trace 
away  ? 

It  is  a  hunter's  prescription  that  comes 
in  use.  You  will  hear  of  it  along  the  Sara- 
nac,  or  lip  in  the  Franconia  region,  where  the 
pines  and  spruces  yield  fresh  resins  for  its 
making.  It  is  popular  there  for  its  efficacy 
in  keeping  the  black-flies  and  musquitoes  away ; 
yet  even  hunters  bear  witness  to  its  excellence 
in  leaving  the  skin  fair  and  innocent.  Thus 
runs  the  formula,  simple  enough,  in  all  con- 
science, yet  how  few  will  have  the  boldness  to 
try  it :  Mix  one  spoonful  of  the  best  tar  in  a 
pint  of  pure  olive  or  almond  oil,  by  heating  the 
two  together  in  a  tin  cup  set  in  boiling  water. 
Stir  till  completely  mixed  and  smooth,  putting 
in  more  oil  if  the  compound  is  too  thick  to 
run  easily.  Rub  this  on  the  face  when  going 
to  bed,  and  lay  patches  of  soft  old  cloth  on 
the  cheeks  and  forehead  to  keep  the  tar  from 
rubbing  off.  The  bed  linen  must  be  protected 


A    SYLVAN    KECIPE.  119 

by  old  sheets  folded  and  thrown  over  the  pil- 
lows. The  odor,  when  mixed  with  oil,  is  not 
strong  enough  to  be  unpleasant — some  people 
fancy  its  suggestion  of  aromatic  pine  breath 
-—and  the  black,  unpleasant  mask  washes  off 
easily  with  warm  water  and  soap.  The  skin 
comes  out,  after  several  applications,  soft,  moist, 
and  tinted  like  a  baby's.  Certainly  this  wood 
ointment  is  preferable  to  the  household  rem- 
edy for  coarse  skins  of  wetting  in  buttermilk. 
Further,  it  effaces  incipient  wrinkles  by  soften- 
ing and  refining  the  skin.  The  French  have 
long  used  turpentine  to  efface  the  marks  of 
age,  but  the  olive  -  tar  is  pleasanter.  A  pint 
of  best  olive-oil  costs  about  forty  cents  at  the 
grocer's;  for  the  tar  apply  to  the  druggist, 
who  keeps  it  on  hand  for  inhaling.  A  spoon- 
ful of  the  mixture  put  in  the  water  vase  of  a 
stove  gives  a  faint  pine  odor  to  the  air  of  a 
room,  which  is  very  soothing  to  weak  lungs. 
Physicians  often  recommend  it. 

What  is  to  be  done  witli  the  malignant  lit- 
tle red  pimples  that  crop  out  aiuioyingly  at 


120         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

the  close  of  warm  weather  ?  The  cause  is  very 
plain.  When  cool  days  check  the  perspira- 
tion, the  system  must  send  out  matter  by  some 
other  outlet  before  it  can  adjust  itself  to  the 
new  state  of  things.  Nothing  is  better  for  the 

O  o 

irritable  face  than  bathing  with  a  dilution  of 
carbolic  acid  —  one  teaspoonful  of  the  com- 
mon acid  to  a  pint  of  rose-water.  The  acid, 
as  usually  sold  in  solution,  is  about  one  half 
the  strength  of  really  pure  acid,  which  is  very 
hard  to  find.  The  recipe  given  above  was 
furnished  by  a  regular  physician,  and  was 
used  on  a  baby,  to  soothe  eruptions  caused  by 
heat,  with  the  happiest  results.  Care  must  be 
taken  not  to  let  the  wash  get  into  the  eyes,  as 
it  certainly  will  smart,  though  it  may  not  be 
strong  enough  to  do  further  harm.  Xo  more 
purifying,  healing  lotion  is  known  to  medical 
skill,  and  its  work  is  speedy.  Poor  baby  was 
not  beautiful  with  his  face  of  unaccustomed 
spots  and  blotches,  when  the  laving  with  the 
fluid  began  at  night,  but  next  morning  they 
were  hardly  visible.  I  commend  this  again  to 


121 

mothers  as  a  specific  against  those  irritations 
with  which  children  suffer.  For  soothing  rrms- 
quito  bites  alone  it  is  worth  all  the  camphor, 
soda  washes,  and  hartshorn  that  ever  were 
tried. 

There  is  a  wrord  of  comfort  to-day  for  those 
most  hopeless  cases  of  unloveliness,  tow-color- 
ed blondes.  Light  hair  of  the  faintest  shade, 
without  a  tinge  of  gold  or  auburn,  is  now  fan- 
cied abroad.  Chignons  of  pale  hair,  dressed 
in  abundant  frizzes,  command  nearly  as  high 
a  price  as  those  pure  blondes  dorees  which 
have  been  worth  so  many  times  their  weight 
in  gold.  Ladies  of  fashion  in  France  dye  their 
hair,  or  rather  bleach  it,  to  this  colorless  state  ; 
and  the  effect  is  very  piquant  with  dark  eyes 
and  complexion.  At  the  fetes  in  Paris  recent- 
ly a  marchioness  of  daring  taste  attracted  gen- 
eral admiration  by  her  pale  tresses,  relieved  by 
profuse  black  velvet  trimmings.  Indeed,  the 
only  wear  for  tres  blondes  is  black,  even  if  it 
is  only  black  alpaca,  with  transparent  ruches  at 
the  neck  and  wrists.  Let  such  not  fear  to  ex- 


122        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

pose  themselves  to  the  fiercest  sun  to  gain  a 
shade  or  two  of  color  in  the  face.  If  the  fine- 
grained skin  which  accompanies  such  hair  take 
on  a  pale,  even  brown,  so  much  the  better  for 
artistic  effect.  Dark  eyes  will  give  brilliancy  to 
the  dullest  face ;  and  dark  they  must  be,  if  the 
harmless  crayon  can  make  them  so  by  skillful 
shading  about  the  light  lashes.  If  ever  art  is 
a  boon,  it  is  when  called  in  to  change  the  sick- 
ly whiteness  of  too  blonde  brows  and  lashes. 
We  can  hardly  expect  that  girls  will  carry 
their  zeal  for  coloring  so  far  as  to  feed  for 
months  on  the  meal  from  sorghum  seed,  which 
has  the  powerful  effect  of  deepening  the  tint 
of  the  entire  flesh — a  phenomenon  as  true  as 
strange ;  but  we  must  hope  that  they  will  live 
and  work  in  the  rays  of  that  great  beautifier, 
the  sun,  which  brings  out  and  perfects  all  un- 
developed tones  in  Nature's  painting.  Pale 
eyes  darken  in  exercise  out-of-doors,  and  pasty 
skins  grow  prismatic  like  mother-of-pearl,  in 
that  wonderful  way  which  fascinated  Monsieur 
Taine  when  he  beheld  the  miraculous  brow? 


NOSE-MACHINE.  '123 

and  shoulders  of  English  ladies.  The  idea  did 
not  seem  to  suggest  itself  to  the  critical  French- 
man, but  it  will  to  every  woman,  that  these 
charms  were  not  wholly  due  to  Nature.  It 
is  bewildering  to  read  the  announcements  of 
toilet  preparations  under  seductive  names — 
rosaline,  blanc  de  perle,  rose-leaf  powder,  mag- 
nolia, velvetine,  can  romaine  tfor,  and  the  rest. 
Think  of  the  potent  chemistry  wThich  waits 
outside  our  windows  untried !  Among  the  list 
of  "eyebrow  pencils,"  "nail  polishes,"  and  lip 
salves,  a  foreign  paper  brings  to  notice  one  in- 
vention which  might  be  of  use  —  a  nose-ma- 
chine, which,  we  are  told,  so  directs  the  soft 
cartilage  that  an  ill-formed  nose  is  quickly 
shaped  to  perfection.  No  surgeon  will  deny 
that  this  is  possible  to  a  great  degree.  That  it 
would  be  a  boon  nobody  can  doubt,  seeing 
how  many  unfortunates  walk  the  world  whose 
noses  have  every  appearance  of  having  been 
sat  upon,  or  made  acquainted  with  the  nether 
millstone.  Long  thimbles  reaching  to  the  sec- 
ond joint  for  shaping  fingers  are  a  new  device. 


124        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

though  something  of  the  kind  was  used  by 
very  particular  beauties  fifty  years  ago.  The 
only  thing  women  would  not  do  to  increase 
their  comeliness  is  to  put  themselves  on  the 
rack,  unless  indeed  it  were  to  live  healthily. 


RESULTS   OF   HIGH   LIVING.  125 


CHAPTEE  XI.. 

Removal  of  Superfluous  Hair. — Effects  of  High  Living.— 
Work  of  Typhoid  Fever. — Roman  Tweezers.  Lola  Mon- 
tez's  Recipes. — Paste  of  Wood -ashes. — Bleaching  Arms 
with  Chloride.  —  Cautions  about  Depilatories.  —  Public 
Baths. — Improving  Complexions  by  the  Sulphur  Vapor- 
bath. —  How  Arabian  Women  Perfume  Themselves.— 
Profuse  Hair,  Sign  of  Nature's  Bounty. 

A  CORRESPONDENT  wishes  to  know  what  will 
remove  superfluous  hair,  adding  that  she  is  an- 
noyed with  such  a  growth  of  it  on  her  face 
that  she  is  the  remark  of  her  friends.  These 
unfortunate  cases  are  the  result  of  morbid  con- 
stitution, freaks  of  nature  which  are  to  be  com- 
bated as  one  would  eradicate  leprosy  or  scrof- 
ula. The  extreme  growth  of  hair  where  it 
should  not  be  comes  from  gross  living,  or  is 
inherited  by  young  persons  from  those  whose 
blood  was  made  of  too  rich  materials.  Living 
for  two  or  three  generations  on  overlarded 


126  THE    UGLY    GIRL    PAPERS. 

meats,  plenty  of  pastry,  salt  meats,  ham,  and 
fish,  with  good  old  pickles  from  brine  —  in 
short,  what  would  be  called  high  living  among 
middle-class  people — is  pretty  sure  to  leave  its 
marks  on  lip  and  brow.  Sometimes  typhoid 
fever  steps  in  and  arrests  the  degeneration  by 
a  painful  and  searching  process,  which,  as  it 
were,  burns  out  the  vile  particles,  and,  if  the 
patient's  strength  endure,  leaves  her  almost 
with  a  new  body.  The  red,  scaly  skin  peels 
off,  and  leaves  a  soft,  fresh  cuticle,  pink  as  a 
child's;  the  dry  hair  comes  out,  and  a  fine, 
often  curling  suit  succeeds  it,  while  moles  and 
feminine  mustaches  disappear  and  leave,  no 
sign.  But  this  fortunate  end  is  not  secured 
to  order,  and  there  are  preferable  ways  of  re- 
newing the  habit  of  body. 

For  immediate  removal  of  the  afflicting  shad- 
ows which  mar  a  feminine  face  there  are  many 
methods.  The  Romans  used  tweezers,  regu- 
larly as  we  do  nail-brushes,  to  pull  out  stray 
hairs;  and  Lola  Montez  speaks  of  seeing  vic- 
tims of  a  modern  day  sitting  for  hours  before 


DEPILATORIES,  OLD    AND    NEW.  127 

the  mirror  painfully  pulling  out  the  hairs  on 
their  faces.  But  this  often  makes  the  matter 
worse;  for  if  the  hairs  are  broken  off,  and  riot 
pulled  up  by  the  roo's  they  are  sure  to  grow 
coarser  than  before.  Often  one  hair  pulled 
out  sends  two  or  three  to  grow  in  its  place. 
A  paste  of  line  wood-ashes  left  to  dry  on  the 
skin  is  said  to  eat  off  hairs,  and  is  probably  as 
safe  as  any  remedy.  The  authority  on  femi- 
nine matters  quoted  above  recommends  very 
highly  a  plaster  which  pulls  the  hairs  out  by 
the  roots.  Spread  equal  parts  of  galbanum 
and  pitch  plaster  on  a  piece  of  thin  leather, 
and  apply  to  the  place  desired ;  let  it  remain 
three  minutes,  and  pull  off  suddenly,  when  it 
brings  the  hairs  with  it,  and  they  are  said  not 
to  grow  again.  *  This  will  probably  bring  the 
tears  into  the  eyes  of  any  one  who  tries  it. ; 
but  the  courage  of  damsels  desiring  a  smooth 
face  is  not  to  be  damped  by  such  trifles  as  an 
instant's  pain.  If  the  plaster  were  left  on 
more  than  three  minutes,  it  would  be  apt  to 
bring  the  skin  with  it  in  coming  off.  It  is 


128         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

better  to  use  daily  a  paste  of  ashes  or  caustic 
soda,  left  on  as  long  as  it  can  be  borne,  wash- 
ing with  vinegar  to  take  out  the  alkali,  and 
rubbing  on  sweet-oil  to  soften  the  skin,  which 
is  left  very  hard  by  these  applications.  Ap- 
plied day  after  day,  it  would  not  fail  to  kill 
the  hair  in  a  month,  when  it  would  dry  and 
rnb  off.  This  may  be  used  on  the  arms,  which 
might  be  whitened  and  cleared  of  hair  togeth- 
er by  bathing  them  in  a  hot  solution  of  chlo- 
ride of  lime  as  strong  as  that  used  for  bleaching 
cotton,  say  two  table-spoonfuls  to  a  quart  of 
water.  Bathe  the  arms  daily  in  this,  as  hot  as 
can  be  borne,  for  not  over  two  minutes,  wash- 
ing afterward  in  vinegar  and  water,,  and  rub- 
bing with  almond  or  olive  oil.  This  should  be 
done  in  a  warm  room  before  an  open  window^ 
to  avoid  breathing  the  fumes  of  the  chloride, 
which  are  both  unpleasant  and  noxious.  Strong 
soft-soap  left  to  dry  on  the  arms  would  in  time 
eat  away  any  hair.  But  the  trouble  is  that 
these  strong  agents  eat  away  the  skin  almost 
as  soon  as  they  do  the  hair,  and  nice  care  must 


VIRTUES    OF    THE   VAPO1M3AT1I.  129 

be  used  to  prevent  dangerous  results.  If  the 
blood  should  be  in  bad  order,  though  not  sus- 
pected by  any  one,  least  of  all  by  the  person 
interested,  caustic  of  any  sort  might  eat  a  hole 
in  the  flesh  that  would  fester,  and  be  a  long 
time  healing.  I  saw  a  frightful  sore  that  a 
lady  made  on  her  neck,  trying  to  remove  a 
mole  with  lunar  caustic,  and  should  advise  ev- 
ery one  to  be  careful  how  they  run  such  pain 
ful  risks.  It  is  not  wise  to  endure  pain  hero- 
ically, thinking  to  have  the  matter  over  and 
done  with  at  once.  Better  try  the  applications 
many  times,  leaving  them  to  do  their  work 
gradually  and  surely. 

To  lay  the  foundation  of  true  beauty,  the 
system  should  be  purified  within  as  well  as 
without.  Nothing  is  of  so  much  value  in  this 
respect  as  the  vapor-bath.  In  all  our  large 
cities  public  establishments  exist  for  taking 
these  baths,  and  their  virtues  are  well  appre- 
ciated by  those  who  once  try  them.  At  the 
largest  bathing -houses  in  New  York  ladies 
attend  regularly  for  the  sole  object  of  im- 


130         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

proving  their  complexion.  Perhaps  the  most 
successful  form  administered  is  the  sulphur 
vapor-bath,  which  works  wonders  for  neural- 
gia. It  purifies  and  searches  the  blood,  and  I 
have  seen  a  patient  who  had  lost  one  of  the 
loveliest  complexions  in  the  world,  as  ^he 
thought  forever,  come  out  of  her  bath  day 
after  day  visibly  whitened  at  each  trial.  For 
ladies  past  youth  nothing  restores  such  soft- 
ness and  child-like  freshness  to  the  cheek  or 
such  suppleness  to  the  figure.  Of  course  these 
baths  can  only  be  taken  at  places  for  the  pur- 
pose, where  chemical  means  are  not  wanting. 
I  only  mention  them  to  urge  all  ladies  who 
have  the  chance  of  trying  them  not  to  fail  of 
doing  so,  both  for  pleasure  and  benefit. 

The  vapor-bath,  pure  and  simple,  has  stood 
for  some  time  among  household  remedies  for 
various  ills,  and  is  given  by  seating  the  un- 
dressed patient  on  a  straw  or  flag  chair  over  a 
saucer  in  which  is  a  little  lighted  alcohol,  and 
wrapping  chair,  patient,  and  all  in  large  blank- 
ets. After  a  few  minutes  the  perspiration 


PERFUMING    WITH    MYRRH.  131 

streams  as  if  he  were  in  a  caldron  of  steam? 
and  may  be  kept  np  any  length  of  time.  Fif- 
teen minutes  are  enough.  A  tepid  bath  should 
follow,  if  one  is  not  chilled  by  it,  and  after 
that  either  a  good  sleep  or  exercise  enough 
to  keep  one  in  a  glow.  Impurities  are  dis- 
charged from  the  system  in  this  way  which 
else  might  occasion  fever.  The  hair,  skin, 
and  nails  are  insensibly  renewed  and  refined 
by  it.  There  is  not  the  least  danger  of  taking 
cold  if  the  precautions  are  taken  of  rubbing 
dry,  dressing  quickly  and  warmly,  and  keep- 
ing the  blood  at  its  proper  heat  by  work  or 
fire  —  in  short,  by  doing  just  those  things 
which  ought  to  be  done  should  one  never  go 
near  a  vapor-bath. 

Arabian  women  have  a  similar  method  of 
perfuming  their  bodies  by  sitting  over  coals 
on  which  are  cast  handf  uls  of  myrrh  and  spices. 
The  heat  opens  the  pores,  which  receive  the 
fumes,  till  the  skin  is  impregnated  with  the 
odor,  and  the  women  come  out  smelling  like  a 
censer  of  incense.  Twice  a  week  is  often 


132         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

enough  for  the  vapor-bath;  as  for  the  fiimi* 
gation,  some  creature  doubtless  will  be  wild 
enough  to  try  the  experiment  once,  which  wil) 
be  sufficient  for  a  lifetime.  If  she  do,  she  will 
be  very  glad  to  know  that  ammonia  bathing 
will  destroy  most  traces  of  her  adventurous 
caprice. 

A  profusion  of  hair,  however,  is  a  sign  of 
nature's  liberality,  and  this  growth  is  found  in 
connection  with  a  strength  and  generosity  of 
constitution  that  is  capable  of  the  best  things 
when  duly  refined.  South  Americans,  with 
their  stipple  bodies  overflowing  with  vitality, 
have  splendid  tresses,  and  so  have  the  Span- 
iards and  Italians.  Such  people  are  quick  and 
lasting  in  the  dance,  own  deep  tuneful  voices, 
move  with  vigor  and  ease,  and  have  a  lux- 
uriance of  blood  and  spirits,  which  is  too 
precious  to  restrain  or  lose.  Fasting,  denial 
of  pleasant  food  and  plenty  of  it,  till  one  is 
worn  to  an  anchorite,  may  do  for  religious 
penance,  but  does  not  reach  physical  ends  so 
well  as  moderate  and  satisfying  indulgence, 


WHAT   TO   EAT.  133 

If  any  poor  girl  think,  from  reading  this  pa- 
per, that  she  ought  to  starve  and  waste  herself 
by  sweating  because  she  has  a  pair  of  mus- 
taches and  a  coat  of  hair  on  her  arms,  she  is 
vastly  mistaken.  If  she  want  to  know  what 
she  may  eat,  let  her  study  Professor  Blot's 
cookery-book.  Whatever  is  there  she  may  eat, 
as  it  is  there,  assured  that  all  the  delightful 
French  seasoning  will  not  do  her  blood  half 
the  injury  of  a  season's  course  of  pies  made 
after  good  Yankee  fashion  —  the  crust  half 
lard  and  half  old  butter,  the  filling  strong 
with  spice  or  drenched  with  essence,  as  the 
case  may  be. 


134  THE    UGLY-CIKI,    PAPERS. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Madame  Celnart's  Works  of  the  Toilet.  —  Literature  of 
Beauty. — Cares  of  the  Toilet. — Arts  of  Coiffure  and 
Lacing. — How  to  Hold  a  Needle  Gracefully. — Iris  Powdet 
for  Tresses. — Arts  of  Italian  Women. — Depilatory  used 
in  Harems. — Spirit  of  Pyretic. — Herbs  used  by  Greek 
Women. — Mexican  Pomade. — Dusky  Perfumed  Marbles. 
— Lost  Perfumes. — Sultanas'  Lotion. — Brilliant  Paste  for 
Neck  and  Arms. — Baking  Enamel. 

IF  ever  a  woman  deserved  a  seat  in  the 
French  Academy  for  the  value  of  her  literary 
labors  to  her  kind,  it  was  Madame  Celnart. 

The  works  of  this  lively  author  on  man- 
ners, dress,  cosmetics,  and  kindred  topics  no 
less  interesting  to  her  sex,  are  found  in  eight 
small  octavos  in  their  native  French.  The 
lady  was  an  industrious  and  brilliant  writer 
on  themes  of  the  toilet,  the  household,  and 
deportment,  on  which  Mrs.  Farrar,  author  of 
The  Young  Lady's  Friend,  of  our  mothers' 


THE    "EVANGELS    OF    COQUETRY."  13o 

time,  and  Mrs.  Beeton,  the  editor  of  The  En* 
glishwomarfs  Magazine,  in  our  day,  have  suc- 
ceeded her  with  much  adornment  but  hardlj 
equal  scope.  Madame  Celnart  talks — one  can 
hardly  imagine  her  holding  a  pen — like  a  Pa 
risian,  with  empressement,  with  drollery,  pre~ 
cision,  and  inimitable  sprightliness.  Her  lect- 
ures sound  like  those  of  a  gentle  old'  beauty, 
secure  in  the  charm  of  her  finished  manner 
against  the  loss  of  her  earlier  fascinations,  tell- 
ing the  secrets  of  her  age  to  a  younger  gen- 
eration, with  half  a  smile  at  their  readiness  to 
seize  these  arts,  and  seriously  pointing  out  the 
most  graceful  or  the  most  modest  way  of  do- 
ing things,  with  the  concern  of  one  who  is  con- 
scious that  grace  and  prudence  do  not  come 
to  all  her  sex  by  nature.  Imagine  the  arch 
gentleness  with  which  she  opens  her  work  on 
the  toilet  in  such  easy,  sparkling  guise  as  this: 
"  Je  viens  defeuilleter  les  arts  de  plaire,  les 
lir/res  de  beaute,  et  autres  evangiles  des  courti- 
sane"  which  may  be  freely  translated,  "  I  come 
to  speak  of  the  arts  of  pleasing,  the  literature 


136  THE    UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 

of  beauty,  and  other  evangels  of  coquetry." 
She  has  a  well-bred  curl  of  disdain  for  "  une 
allure  bourgeoise  mesquine;"  but  with  the  rev- 
erence of  a  true  Frenchwoman,  whose  creed  is 
her  mirror,  she  pronounces  her  work  "  consacre 
a  la  toilette,  et  la  conversation  de  la  beaute" 
These  duties  she  divides  with  serious  precision 
into  the  " soins  de  la  toilette"  which  include 
cosmetic  arts,  and  "  Part  de  se  coiffer,  lacer,  et 
chausser"  It  was  indeed  an  art,  in  the  time 
of  hundred-boned  corsets  without  clasps,  to 
lace  one's  self,  and  in  the  days  of  classic  san- 
dals to  put  on  one's  shoes.  She  is  as  exact  in 
all  her  details  as  a  school-mistress,  though  one 
fancies  a  covert  smile  on  her  wise  face  as  she 
rallies  the  young  demoiselles  who  dreaded  the 
bath — because  it  was  so  cold  ?  Oh  no ;  but 
because  their  modesty  could  not  endure  the 
baring  of  their  person  even  to  themselves. 
Such,  she  gravely  advises,  may  save  their  "pu- 
deur"  by  bathing  in  a  peignoir.  One  inevi- 
tably recalls  Lola  Montez's  dedication  of  her 
famous  Book  of  Beauty ',  "  To  all  men  and 


NEWBUKYPORT   GENTLEWOMEN.  137 

women  who  arc  not  afraid  of  themselves,"  on 
encountering  these  French  demoiselles  with 
their  conventual  susceptibility. 

The  graceful  preceptress  goes  on  with  di- 
rections for  sitting,  for  holding  one's  needle, 
for  dancing,  and  holding  one's  petticoats  out 
of  the  mud.  Nobody  will  allow  that  these 
hints  are  superfluous  who  notices  the  varied 
awkwardness  which  women  fall  into  who  are 
habitually  thoughtless  on  these  points.  Some 
of  these  nice  customs  may  have  been  carried 
to  our  shores,  possibly  with  Rochambeau's 
French  ladies  at  Newport  or  Salem.  I  re- 
member hearing  one  of  the  fine  Newburyport 
ladies,  who  answer  to  the  description  of  gen- 
tlewomen still,  maintain  earnestly  that  it  was 
most  graceful  to  "sew  with  a  long  point" — 
that  is,  to  push  the  needle  nearly  its  whole 
length  through  at  each  stitch,  instead  of  pull- 
ing it  out,  so  to  speak,  by  the  nose.  And  she 
was  right,  as  you  can  verify  by  the  next  sew- 
ing, you  take  up. 

In  the  time  of  Madame  Celnart,  fine  ladies 


138         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

used  to  powder  their  hair  with  the  dust  of 
Florentine  iris,  which  gave  their  love-breath- 
ing tresses  the  violet  odor  of  spring.  A  pleas- 
ant  idea;  but  their  iris,  our  orris  root,  must 
have  been  a  trifle  fresher  than  comes  to  this 
country.  It  makes  us  sure  that  the  beauties 
of  Titian's  and  Guido's  times  were  real  wom- 
en, to  know  that  they  steeped  their  tresses  in 
bleaching  liquids  and  dyes,  and  spread  their 
locks  in  the  sun  for  hours  to  gain  the  coveted 
golden  tinge;  and  the  hair  of  the  Bella 
Donna  herself  might  have  caught  part  of  its 
enchantment  from  the  sprinkling  of  violet 
powder  that  lent  its  waves  a  soul.  Those  im- 
mortal beauties  would  have  canonized  Lubin 
had  he  been  alive  writh  his  pomades  and  per- 
fumes in  their  time.  Celnart  was  a  coura- 
geous advocate  of  cosmetics,  or  else  she  was 
wise  enough  to  put  the  worst  first,  for  one  of 
her  earliest  recipes  is  this  depilatory,  which  is 
not  at  all  quoted  by  way  of  recommendation. 
It  is  the  Oriental  Rusma,  a  depilatory  used 
in  harems: 


"OKIENTAL   EUSMA."  139 

Two  ounces  of  quicklime,  half  an  ounce  of 
orpiment  and  red  arsenic;  boil  in  one  pint  of 
alkaline  lye,  and  try  with  a  feather  to  see 
when  it  is  strong  enough.  Touch  the  parts 
to  be  rid  of  hair,  and  wash  with  cold  water. 
When  we  say  that  orpiment  and  realgar  are 
deadly  poisons,  and  add  Madame  Celnart's  re- 
mark that  the  mixture  is  of  "  line  grande  caus- 
ticite"  often  attacking  the  tissue  of  the  skin, 
our  readers  will  quite  agree  with  her  that  it  is 
only  to  be  used  with  "  la  plus  grande  cir- 
conspeciion"  or,  still  better,  not  at  all.  The 
Creine  Parisienne  depilatoire  is  harmless,  and 
is  given  for  what  it  is  worth :  One  eighth  of 
an  ounce  of  rye  starch,  and  the  same  of  sul- 
phate of  baryta  (or  heavy-spar),  the  juice  of 
purslane,  acacia,  and  milk-thistle,  mixed  with 
oil. 

The  high-sounding  Paste  of  Venus,  devised 
by  a  Parisian  cosmetic  artist,  who  shared  the 
mythologic  fancy  which  prevailed  years  ago, 
was  spread  over  the  skin  to  soften  and  per- 
fume it.  Esther  herself  might  have  used  it, 
10 


140  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

for  its  conjugation  of  spices  would  delight  an 
Oriental.  It  was  made  of  fat,  butter,  honey, 
and  aromatics — the  more  the  better;  but  as 
none  of  our  belles  wish  to  try  the  anointing 
bodily,  I  spare  them  the  list,  and  give  instead 
the  Esprit  de  pyretre.  The  pyrethrum,  or 
Spanish  pellitory,  is  an  herb  highly  valued  by 
cosmetic  artists,  and  appears  in  several  recipes 
of  the  French : 

Powdered  cinnamon,  one  drachm;  corian- 
der, nineteen  scruples ;  vanilla,  the  same ;  clove, 
eighteen  grains;  cochineal,  mace,  and  saffron, 
the  same ;  simple  spirit  of  pyrethrum,  one  li- 
tre (about  seven  eighths  of  a  quart).  Let  these 
ingredients  digest  for  fifteen  days,  and  add 
orange-flower  water,  half  an  ounce;  oil  of  an- 
ise, eighteen  drops;  citron,  ditto;  oils  of  lav- 
ender and  thyme,  each  nine  drops ;  ambergris, 
three  grains.  Mix  the  ambergris  with  the 
pyretre,  and  put  the  two  liquids  together.  Fil- 
ter after  two  days.  Use  as  a  toilet  water. 

No  wonder  French  cosmetics  are  so  high- 
ly valued,  when  their  composition  embraces 


SAFFRON   AND   ROSES.  141 

such  a  variety  of  pleasing  ingredients.  Thyme, 
anise,  and  saffron  seem  homely  herbs  for  a 
woman's  use,  but  they  assisted  at  every  toilet 
among  the  Greek  women  of  old  ;  and  Rhodora 
wove  the  crocus  (meadow-saffron)  with  the 
rose,  and  fennel  among  her  jasmines,  without 
a  thought  such  as  these  things  give  us  of  sick- 
teas  and  home-made  dyes.  Why  should  herbs 
of  such  excellent  renown  lose  the  poetry  that 
belongs  to  them?  Mingled  in  variety  with 
ambergris  and  orange  flowers,  they  give  body 
to  a  perfume  rich  enough  to  have  satisfied 
Cleopatra. 

If  this  recipe  is  complicated,  what  will  be 
said  to  the  next,  compounded  by  South  Amer- 
ican women,  and  fashionable  in  Paris  not  so 
very  long  after  the  time  of  Josephine,  who 
may  have  patronized,  or,  indeed,  introduced 
this  souvenir  of  Creole  coquetry.  Madame 
Celn art  says  of  it,  "  Only  the  Tartuffes  of 
coquetry  could  blame  the  Mexican  pomade," 
whose  proportions  indicate  that  the  formula 
came  straight  from  the  perfumer's  hands,  and 


142  THE   UGLY-GIRL    PAPERS. 

is  therefore  correct.     Any  one  who  wishes  fr 
try  it  can  reduce  the  measure  to  suit  herself : 

Extract  of  cocoa,  sixty-four  ounces;  oil  of 
noisette,  thirty-two  ounces ;  oil  of  ben,  thirty- 
two  ounces;  oil  of  vanilla,  two  ounces;  white 
balsam  of  Peru,  one  drachm ;  benzoin  flowers, 
half  a  drachm;  civet,  ditto;  neroli,  one  drachm; 
essence  of  rose,  one  drachm  ;  oil  of  clove  flow- 
ers', one  ounce;  citron  and  bergamot  waters, 
each  half  a  pint.  Steep  the  vanilla  in  the  co- 
coa butter  eight  days  in  a  hot  place ;  dissolve 
the  balsam  in  half  a  glass  of  alcohol,  with  the 
benzoin  and  civet,  and  add  the  spirit  of  clove. 
Mix  the  essence  of  rose  and  neroli  in  the  oils 
of  ben  and  noisette,  and  beat  the  whole  forci- 
bly together  in  a  large  marble  or  china  bowl. 

Creole  women  spread  this  paste  on  their 
smooth  skins,  which  the  oil  of  cocoa  softens 
and  moistens,  while  the  delightful  changing 
odor  is  absorbed,  till  their  forms  are  like  liv- 
ing, dusky,  but  perfumed  marbles.  These  rec- 
ipes are  given  -not  so  much  for  imitation,  or 
to  contribute  to  the  lore  of  perfumers  this  side 


FRAGEANT  WATEES.  143 

tne  water,  as  curiosities  of  national  arts  and 
feminine  vanity.  Where  in  our  country  would 
we  find  the  ingredients  of  the  celebrated  Eau 
de  Stahl,  known  to  the  Parisian  chemists  forty 
years  ago  ?  Its  compound  wras  as  follows : 

Alcohol,  nine  litres ;  rose-water,  three  litres; 
the  root  of  Spanish  pellitory,  five  ounces ;  gal- 
lingale  root,  three  ounces ;  tormentil,  three 
ounces ;  balsam  of  Peru,  three  ounces ;  cinna- 
mon, five  drachms ;  rue,  one  ounce ;  ratania, 
eight  ounces.  Powder  the  whole,  and  put  in 
alcohol ;  shake  wrell,  and  leave  to  macerate  six 
days.  Pour  off,  and  let  it  stand  twenty-four 
hours  to  clear,  after  which  add  essential  oil  of 
mint,  one  and  a  half  drachms;  powdered  coch- 
ineal, four  drachms.  Leave  to  infuse  anew 
three  days;  filter  through  filtering-paper,  and 
decant.  Use  for  a  tooth  wash,  for  washing 
the  face,  or  for  baths. 

Peruvian  powder  was  a  standard  dentifrice 
of  the  same  date,  It  is  made  of  white  sugar, 
half  a  drachm  ;  cream  of  tartar,  one  drachm ; 
magnesia,  ditto ;  cinnamon,  six  grains ;  mace, 


144:  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

two  grains ;  sulphate  of  quinine,  three  grains ; 
carmine,  five  grains.  Powder  and  mix  care- 
fully, adding  four  drops  of  the  oils  of  rose  and 
mint. 

The  following  cosmetic,  called  the  SerJcis  du 
Serail,  is  said  to  be  a  favorite  lotion  used  by 
the  Sultanas,  for  whom  it  is  imported  from 
Achaia  —  though  this  sounds  more  like  one 
of  those  pleasant  fictions  which  perfumers  de- 
light to  invent  concerning  their  oils  and  po- 
mades than  any  thing  we  are  obliged  to  be- 
lieve. This  may  be  said  in  favor  of  the  asser- 
tion— it  is  such  a  mixture  of  starch  and  oils 
as  no  one  but  an  odalisque  could  endure  to 
use.  It  is  made  of  sweet- almond  paste,  ten 
livres ;  rye  and  potato  starch,  each  six  livres ; 
oil  of  jasmine,  eight  ounces ;  the  same  of  oil  of 
orange  flowers  and  of  roses ;  black  balsam  of 
Peru,  six  ounces ;  essence  of  rose  and  of  cin- 
namon, each  sixty  grains.  Mix  the  powders 
and  essences  separately  in  earthen  vessels,  then 
add  the  powder  to  the  liquid  little  by  little, 
bruise  well  together,  and  strain  through  musliu, 


BRILLIANT   ENAMEL.  145 

An  elegant  preparation  for  whitening  the 
face  and  neck  is  made  of  terebinth  of  Mecca, 
three  grains ;  oil  of  sweet  almonds,  four  ounces ; 
spermaceti,  two  drachms ;  flour  of  zinc,  one 
drachm  ;  white  wax,  two  drachms ;  rose-water, 
six  drachms.  Mix  in  a  water-bath,  and  melt 
together.  The  harmless  mineral  white  is  fixed 
in  the  pomade,  or  what  we  would  call  cold 
cream,  and  is  applied  with  the  greatest  ease 
and  effect.  It  must  be  to  some  preparation 
of  this  subtle  sort  that  the  lustrous  whiteness 
of  certain  much-admired  fashionable  complex- 
ions is  due.  It  is  a  cheap  enamel,  without  the 
supposed  necessity  of  baking,  which,  by  the 
way,  is  such  a  blunder  that  I  wonder  people 
of  sense  persist  in  speaking  of  it  as  if  it  could 
be  a  fact 


146        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Last  of  the  Rose. — Weighing  in  the  Balances. — To 
Love  and  to  be  Loved. — The  Enigma  of  Love. — Its  Power 
over  the  Lot  of  Men. — Inspiration  in  the  Looks. — The 
Land  of  Spring. — The  Duchess  of  Devonshire. — Women 
at  and  after  Thirty. — Training  of  Emotion. — Warming 
the  Voice. — Crow's-feet  at  the  Opera. — Bohemian  Arsenic 
Waters. — Recipe  from  Madame  Vestris. — Milk  of  Roses. 
— Sweet-oils. — Opera-dancers'  Prescription  for  Restoring 
Suppleness. 

FOR  any  woman,  maid  or  matron,  past  youth, 
who  hears  the  leaves  begin  to  drop,  and  sees 
the  roses  curl  in  the  warm  summer  of  her  life, 
this  chapter  is  written.  It  is  well  that  with 
the  decay  of  bloom  and  outward  charm  there 
should  be  a  lessening  of  feeling,  an  amiable 
indifference  to  the  homage  that  youth  covets 
eagerly.  The  woman  of — who  dares  fill  in 
the  age?  —  the  woman  who  finds  the  fai.nt 
lines  on  her  cheek  and  the  pallor  creeping  to 


AN   OLD    SONG.  147 

'her  lip  should  have  learned  and  tasted  many 
tilings  in  her  life — so  many  that  she  can  ap- 
praise the  value  of  all,  and  resign  them  con- 
tentedly, with  a  little  sigh,  not  for  what  they 
were,  but  for  wrhat  they  wrere  not. 

She  should  have  loved,  and,  if  possible,  have 
won  love  in  return,  though  that  is  less  matter. 
The  wisdom,  the  blessedness,  come  through 
loving,  not  through  being  loved. 

It  is  well  if  she  can  accept  the  complement 
of  her  affection,  and  find  out  of  what  mutable 
elements  it  is  made :  its  fervor  and  forgetful- 
ness  ;  its  devotion, /)ften  eclipsed  and  as  often 
surprising  with  its  fresh  strength — weak  where 
we  trust  it  most,  and  standing  proof  where  we 
surely  expect  it  to  fail. 

Suclv  is  the  love  of  man.  It  is  a  riddle, 
whose  learning  has  cost  gray  hairs  on  tender 
temples,  the  roses  from  many  cheeks. 

It  is  the  tradition  that  love  makes  or  mars 
a  woman's  life ;  but  I  have  yet  to  learn  that  it 
does  not  exert  an  equal  though  silent  power 
over  the  lot  of  men.  Be  that  as  it  may,  & 


148  THE    USLY-GIRL    PAPERS. 

woman  in  love  is  far  more  beautiful  than  one 
out  of  it.  And  this  is  true  if  the  love  last  to 
threescore. 

Let  women,  if  they  would  remain  charming, 
by  all  means  keep  their  hold  on  love,  their 
faith  in  romance.  The  power  of  feeling  gives 
vitality  arid  interest  to  faces  long  after  their 
first  flush  has  passed.  Speaking  as  matter  of 
fact,  this  is  the  case,  for  emotion  has  a  livelier 
power  than  the  sun  has  over  the  blood,  and 
the  miracle  of  love  in  making  a  plain  girl 
pretty  is  explained  by  the  stimulating  effects 
of  happiness  on  the  circulation.  If  you  would 
preserve  inspiration  in  your  looks,  beware  how 
you  repress  emotion.  Cultivate,  not  the  signs 
of  it,  but  emotion  itself,  for  the  two  things  are 
very  distinct.  Suffer  yourself  to  be  touched 
and  swayed  by  noble  music  and  passion.  To 
do  this,  place  yourself  often  under  the  best  in- 
fluences within  reach.  There  may  be  pathos 
enough  in  the  rendering  of  a  poor  little  girl's 
song  at  the  piano  to  stir  tenderly  chords  of 
feeling  that  were  growing  dull  for  want  of 


ANTIQUE   BELLES.  149 

use.  The  rose  of  morning,  the  perfume  of 
spring,  have  rapt  many  a  middle-aged  woman 
away  to  divine  regions  of  fancy,  from  which 
she  came  back  with  their  dewy  freshness  and 
smell  lingering  about  her.  Youth  has  its  day- 
long reveries  while  its  hands  are  at  work.  We 
older  ones  need  to  reserve  with  jealous  care 
our  hours  of  solitude,  in  which  the  springs  fill 
up. 

The  faces  of  old  beauties  have  no  charm  be- 
yond that  of  feeling.  Look  at  the  women 
who  were  reputed  the  belles  of  our  large 
cities  twenty  years  ago.  They  may  be  well 
preserved  ;  but  in  most  cases  they  are  mere 
masks  in  discolored  wax.  The  pearly  teeth, 
the  small  Grecian  features,  the  soft,  fine  hair 
and  regular  eyes  are  left,  but  the  brow  has 
learned  neither  to  weep  nor  smile,  the  lips  are 
composed,  and  might  be  mute  for  all  the  ex- 
pression that  replaces  their  lost  crimson.  One 
could  adore  the  wasted  beauty  of  the  Duchess 
of  Devonshire,  "  worn  by  the  agitations  of  a 
brilliant  and  romantic  life,"  for  the  sake  of 


150  THE    UGLY-GIKL    PAPERS. 

the  fire  and  kindness  that  lit  even  its  death- 
pillow  ;  and  the  Josephine  of  Malmaison,  with 
eyes  always  eloquent  of  tears,  wins  more  devo- 
tion than  the  empress  at  Saint  Cloud,  confessed 
the  loveliest  woman  of  France.  Let  no  wom- 
an fall  into  the  mistake  of  preserving  her 
beauty  by  refraining  from  emotion,  for  all  she 
can  keep  by  such  costly  pains  will  be  the  coffin- 
like  shapeliness  of  flowers  preserved  in  sand. 

Laugh,  weep,  rejoice,  or  suffer  as  life  pro- 
vides. Only  feel  something  natural,  worthy^ 
and  vivid  enough  not  to  leave  your  face  a 
blank. 

There  is  a  time  between  twenty-five  and 
thirty-five  when  the  struggle  of  life,  mean  or 
lofty  as  it  may  be,  oppresses  women  sorely. 
Fret  and  care  write  crossing  script  on  their 
faces,  which  grow  yellow  and  pinched  till  they 
despair  of  comeliness.  This  is  when  they  are 
learning  to  live.  Ten  years  or  so  make  the 
lesson  easy,  and  it  is  one  of  the  thankfulest 
things  in  the  world  to  see  such  faces  going 
back  to  the  blossom  and  sunny  sweetness  of 


151 

their  spring.  Many  a  woman  is  handsomer  at 
thirty-Dine  than  she  was  at  thirty.  Nature  re- 
sponds wonderfully  to  the  reliefs  afforded  her. 
The  only  counsel  is  to  let  Nature  go  free. 
Do  not  think,  because  trial  has  bent  spirit  and 
frame  together,  that  they  should  stay  so  a  mo- 
ment after  the  heavy  hand  is  off.  If  you  feel 
like  singing,  sing,  not  humming  low,  but  joy- 
ful and  clear  as  the  larks,  that  would  carol 
just  as  gayly  at  ninety,  if  larks  lived  so  long, 
as  the  first  summer  they  left  their  nests.  The 
worst  of  English  and  American  systems  of 
manners  is  the  constant  repression  they  de- 
mand. It  impairs  even  the  physical  powers, 
so  that  in  training  a  singer  the  first  thing 
great  artists  do  is  to  teach  her  to  feel,  in 
order,  as  they  say,  to  "  warm  up "  the  voice 
and  give  it  fullness.  Women  need  to  culti- 
vate pleasure  arid  amusement  far  more  after 
they  are  thirty  than  before  it,  I  mean  roman- 
tic pleasures,  such  as  come  from  exquisite  col- 
ors and  sceneries  in  nature  or  their  homes, 
from  poetry  and  the  loveliest  music.  They 


152         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

are  twice  as  impressible  then  as  they  are  in 
youth,  if  they  know  how  to  get  hold  of  the 
right  notes.  They  leave  themselves  to  fall  out 
of  tune,  and  forget  to  respond. 

Yet,  as  a  woman  does  not  love  to  carry  her 
thinned  tresses  and  crow's-feet  into  the  glare 
of  the  opera,  or  to  talk  poetry  when  rheu- 
matism twinges  her  middle  finger,  the  craft  of 
the  toilet  comes  in  most  gratefully.  The 
freshness  of  the  skin  is  prolonged  by  a  simple 
secret,  the  tepid  bath  in  which  bran  is  stirred, 
followed  by  long  friction,  till  the  flesh  fairly 
shines.  This  keeps  the  blood  at  the  surface, 
and  has  its  effect  in  warding  off  wrinkles. 
Bohemian  countesses  over  thirty  may  go  to 
arsenic  springs,  as  they  were  wont  to  do,  for 
the  benefit  of  their  complexions;  but  the  home 
bath-room  is  more  efficacious  than  even  the 
minute  doses  of  quicksilver  with  which  the 
ladies  of  George  the  First's  court  used  to 
poison  themselves  —  a  primitive  wTay  of  get- 
ting at  the  virtues  of  bine-pill. 

The  celebrated  Madame  Vestris  slept  with 


ANOINTING   WITH   PERFUMES.  153 

her  face  covered  by  a  paste  which  gave  firm- 
ness to  a  loose  skin  and  prevented  wrinkles. 
It  was  a  recipe  which  the  Spanish  ladies  are 
fond  of  using,  which  requires  the  whites  of 
four  eggs  boiled  in  rose-water,  to  which  is 
added  half  an  ounce  of  alum,  arid  as  much 
oil  of  sweet  almonds,  the  whole  beaten  to  a 
paste. 

A  favorite  cosmetic  of  the  time  of  Charles 
II.  was  the  milk  of  roses,  said  to  give  a  fair 
and  youtlif ul  appearance  to  faded  cheeks.  It 
was  made  by  boiling  gum-benzoin  in  the  spir- 
its of  wine  till  it  formed  a  rich  tincture,  fifteen 
drops  of  which  in  a  glass  of  water  made  a  fra- 
grant milk,  in  which  the  face  and  arms  were 
bathed,  leaving  the  lotion  to  dry  on.  It  ob- 
literates wrinkles  as  far  as  any  thing  can  be- 
sides enamel. 

To  restore  suppleness  to  the  joints,  the 
Oriental  practice  may  be  revived  of  anointing 
the  body  witli  oil.  The  best  sweet-oil  or  oil 
of  almonds  is  used  for  this  purpose,  slightly 
perfumed  with  attar  of  roses  or  oil  of  violets. 


154:  THE    UGLY-GIKL    PAPEKS. 

The  joints  of  the  knees,  shoulders,  and  fingers 
are  to  be  oiled  daily,  and  the  ointment  well 
rubbed  into  the  skin,  till  it  leaves  no  gloss. 
The  muscles  of  the  back  feel  a  sensible  relief 
from  this  treatment,  especially  when  strained 
with  work  or  witli  carrying  children.  The 
anointing  should  follow  the  bath,  when  the 
two  are  taken  together.  It  is  a  pity  this  cus- 
tom has  ever  fallen  into  disuse  among  our 
people,  who  need  it  quite  as  much  as  the  sen- 
suous Orientals. 

Opera -dancers  in  Europe  use  an  ointment 
which  is  thus  given  by  Lola  Montez :  The 
fat  of  deer  or  stag,  eight  ounces ;  olive-oil, 
six  ounces;  virgin  wax,  three  ounces;  white 
brandy,  half  a  pint ;  musk,  one  grain ;  rose- 
water,  four  ounces.  The  fat,  oil,  and  wax  are 
melted  together,  and  the  rose-water  stirred  into 
the  brandy,  after  which  all  are  beaten  together. 
It  is  used  to  give  suppleness  to  the  limbs  in 
dancing,  and  relieves  the  stiffness  ensuing  on 
violent  exercise.  Ambergris  would  suit  mod- 
ern  taste  better  than  musk  in  preparing  this. 


A   CUKE   FOE   TOOTHACHE.  155 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Fearful  Malady  of  which  no  one  Dies. — Esprit  Odon- 
talyique.  —  Gray  Pastilles.  —  Important  to  Smokers. — 
Mouth  Perfumes. — Care  of  the  Breath. — Directions  for 
Bathing. — Perfumes  for  the  Bath. — Bazin's  Pate. — Qual- 
ity of  Soaps. — Bathing  and  Anointing  the  Feet. — Nicety 
of  Stockings. — Delicate  Shoe  Linings. — Feet  of  Pauline 
Bonaparte. 

AMONG  the  recipes,  more  or  less  valuable, 
which  come  to  light  in  old  collections,  one  for 
the  toothache,  by  Boerhaave,  is  too  useful  to  be 
lost.  Even  beauties  have  the  toothache  some- 
times, especially  after  going  home  from  the 
Academy  of  Music  on  a  snowy  night  with  a 
tulle  scarf  folded  about  their  heads,  or  after 
sitting  with  their  backs  to  the  window  in  a 
half-warmed  parlor  during  a  ceremonious  call. 
Use  before  beauty,  mademoiselles ;  and  with 
no  more  excuse  is  proffered  the  Esprit  Odon- 
talgique,  which  should  be  kept  in  the  dressing- 


150         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

room,  ready  for  the  slightest  signs  of  that  most 
terrible  malady,  from  which  nobody  dies. 

Alcohol  of  thirty-three  degrees,  one  ounce; 
camphor,  four  grains;  opium  in  powder,  twen- 
ty grains ;  oil  of  cloves,  eighty  drops.  The  ef- 
ficacy of  this  lotion  will  be  seen  at  a  glance, 
and  no  other  authority  for  its  use  is  needed 
than  that  of  the  learned  and  excellent  physi- 
cian who  gave  it  its  name. 

Very  properly  follow  the  gray  pastilles  for 
purifying  the  breath.  They  do  so,  not  by  dis- 
guising it,  but  by  reaching  the  root  of  the  dif- 
ficulty, arresting  decay  in  the  teeth,  and  neu- 
tralizing acidity  of  the  stomach.  The  mixt- 
ure is  very  simple :  Chlorate  of  lime,  seven 
drachms ;  vanilla  sugar,  three  drachms ;  gum- 
arabic,  five  drachms — to  be  mixed  with  warm 
water  to  a  stiff  paste,  rolled,  and  cut  into  loz- 
enges. 

Madame  Celnart  archly  advises  all  good 
wives  to  let  their  spouses  know  that  these  loz- 
enges entirely  remove  the  traces  of  tobacco  in 
the  breath.  As  a  good  wife  will  hardly  inter- 


"EAU  ANGELIQUE."  157 

fere  with  a  favorite  habit  of  her  husband  who 
is  fond  of  smoking,  the  least  any  gentleman 
can  do  is  to  render  his  presence  acceptable 
after  the  indulgence. 

Another  pastille,  preferable  on  some  ac- 
counts to  the  above,  but  owing  its  value  to  the 
same  principle,  is  made  from  chlorate  of  so- 
dium, twenty  -  four  grains ;  powdered  sugar, 
one  ounce ;  guin-adraganth,  twenty  grains ; 
perfumer's  essential  oil,  two  drachms.  Pow- 
der the  chlorate  in  a  glass  mortar;  put  the 
powder  in  a  cup,  and  pour  in  a  little  water; 
let  it  settle,  and  pour  off.  Repeat  the  process 
three  times  with  fresh  water,  filtering  what  is 
poured  off  each  time,  and  mix  the  gum  and 
sugar  with  it,  adding  the  perfume  last. 

A  gargle  for  the  mouth  which  combines 
all  the  virtues  of  Eau  Angelique,  and  every 
other  wash  of  heavenly  name,  is  made  of  the 
chlorate  of  lime  in  powder,  three  drachms; 
distilled  water,  two  ounces.  Reduce  the  chlo- 
rate with  a  glass  pestle  in  a  glass  mortar,  add 
a  third  of  the  water,  stir,  and  pour  off,  as  di- 


158  THE    UGLY-GIKL    PAPERS. 

rected  before,  till  all  is  added.  To  this  add 
two  ounces  of  alcohol,  in  \vhich  is  dissolved 
four  drops  of  the  volatile  oil  of  roses  and  four 
drops  of  perfumer's  essential  oil.  Half  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  the  solution  in  a  wine-glass  of  wa- 
ter is  to  be  used  at  a  time  as  a  tooth- wash  and 
gargle  for  the  mouth  and  gums. 

With  the  best  intentions  as  to  physical  neat- 
ness, many  persons  are  unable  to  make  the  im- 
pression of  their  company  wholly  agreeable. 
They  may  remember  with  advantage  that 
rinsing  the  mouth  with  this  fluid  six  times  a 
day  is  not  too  much  pains  in  order  to  make 
themselves  acceptable  to  others.  There  is  no 
surer  passport  to  esteem  than  an  innocent, 
taintless  person,  which  wins  upon  one  before 
moral  virtues  have  time  to  make  their  way. 
If  you  think  this  truth  is  repeated  too  often, 
study  the  impression  made  by  the  respectable 
people  you  meet  for  the  next  month.  The  re- 
sult will  satisfy  you  that  those  who  are  as  neat 
as  white  cats  are  as  one  to  fifteen  of  the  care- 
less, easily  satisfied  sort. 


DIRECTIONS    FOR   TOILET    WATERS.  159 

Slight  disorders  of  the  system  make  them- 
selv,es  known  by  the  sickly  odor  of  the  perspi- 
ration, quite  sensible  to  others,  though  the  per- 
son most  interested  is  the  last  to  become  con- 
scious of  it.  The  least  care,  even  in  cold 
weather,  for  those  who  would  make  their  phys- 
ical as  sure  as  their  moral  purity,  is  to  bathe 
with  hot  water  and  soap  twice  a  week  from 
head  to  foot.  Carbolic  toilet  soap  is  the  best 
for  common  use,  as  it  heals  and  removes  all 
roughness  and  "breakings  out"  not  of  the 
gravest  sort.  Ladies  whose  rough  complex- 
ions were  a  continual  mortification  have  found 
them  entirely  cleared  by  the  use  of  this  soap. 
The  slight  unpleasant  odor  of  the  acid  present 
soon  disappears  after  washing,  and  it  may  be 
overcome  by  using  a  few  spoonfuls  of  perfume 
in  the  water. 

An  excellent  preparation  for  bathing  is 
Bacheville's  Eau  des  Odalisques.  The  French 
recommend  it  highly  for  frictions,  lotions,  and 
baths.  It  is  made  in  quantity  for  free  use  aft- 
er this  recipe:  Two  pints  of  alcohol,  one  of 


160  THE   UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 

rose-water, half  a  drachm  of  Mexican  cochineal, 
four  ounces  of  soluble  cream  of  tartar,  £ve 
drachms  of  liquid  balsam  of  Peru,  five  drachms 
of  dry  balsam  of  the  same ;  vanilla,  one  drachm  ; 
pellitory  root,  one  and  a  half  ounces;  storax, 
one  and  a  half  ounces;  galanga,  one  ounce; 
root  of  galanga,  one  and  a  half  ounces;  dried 
orange  peel,  two  drachms ;  cinnamon,  essence 
of  mint,  root  of  Bohemian  angelica,  and  dill 
seed,  each  one  drachm.  Infuse  eight  days,  and 
filter.  For  lotions,  add  one  spoonful  of  this  to 
six  of  water.  It  is  also  useful  for  freshening 
the  mouth,  adding  twenty-four  drops  of  it  to 
four  teaspoonfuls  of  tepid  water.  For  dis- 
eased gums,  double  the  dose,  and  gargle  with 
it  several  times  a  day. 

The  Pate  Axerasive  of  Bazin,  the  celebrated 
perfumer,  has  the  distinction  of  being*  highly 
commended  by  the  French  Royal  Academy 
of  Medicine.  It  is  better  for  toilet  use  than 
soaps  which  contain  so  much  alkali.  Take 
powder  of  bitter  almonds,  eight  ounces;  oil 
of  the  same,  twelve  ounces;  savon  vert  of 


DANGER   OF   USING   POOR    SOAPS.  161 

the  perfumers,  eight  ounces ;  spermaceti,  four 
ounces ;  soap  powder,  four  ounces ;  cinnabar, 
two  drachms ;  essence  of  rose,  one  drachm, 
Melt  the  soap  and  spermaceti  with  the  oil  in 
a  water -bath,  add  the  powder,  and  mix  the 
whole  in  a  marble  mortar.  It  forms  a  kind 
of  paste,  which  softens  and  whitens  the  skin 
better  than  any  soap  known. 

Make  toilet  waters  and  pastes  of  this  kind  in 
quantity,-  as  they  improve  with  age.  It  costs 
about  one  fourth  as  much  to  prepare  them 
as  to  buy  the  same  quantity  at  the  perfumer's, 
and  one  has  the  advantage  of  a  finer  article. 
Do  not  use  cheap  soap  for  the  toilet.  Such 
is  almost  always  made  of  rancid  or  half -putrid 
fat,  combined  w^ith  strong  alkalies,  which  dry 
and  crack  the  skin,  sometimes  causing  danger- 
ous sores  by  the  poisonous  matter  they  in- 
troduce from  vile  grease.  Never  allow  such 
soap  to  touch  the  flesh  of  an  infant.  To  do 
so  is  little  better  than  absolute  cruel  tjr.  White 
soaps  are  the  safest,  as  they  are  only  made  of 
purified  fat. 


162        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

The  feet  should  be  washed  every  night  and 
morning  as  regularly  as  the  hands.  It  pre- 
serves their  strength  and  elasticity,  and  helps 
to  keep  their  shape.  What  person  of  refine- 
ment can  take  any  pleasure  in  looking  at  her 
own  feet  presenting  the  common  appearance 
of  distortion  by  shoes  too  tight  in  the  wrong 
place,  and  tiie  dry,  hardened  skin  of  partial 
neglect  ?  One's  foot  is  as  proper  an  object 
of  pride  and  complacency  as  a  shapely  hand. 
But  where  in  a  thousand  would  a  sculptor  find 
one  that  was  a  pleasure  to  contemplate,  like 
that  of  the  Princess  Pauline  Bonaparte,  whose 
lovely  foot  was  modeled  in  marble  for  the  de- 
light of  all  the  world  who  have  seen  it  ? 

As  nice  care  should  be  given  to  feet  as  to 
hands,  beginning  witli  a  bath  of  fifteen  min- 
utes in  hot  soap  and  water,  followed  by  scrap- 
ing with  an  ivory  knife,  and  rubbing  with  a 
ball  of  sand-stone,  which  will  be  found  most 
useful  for  a  dozen  toilet  purposes.  The  nails 
may  be  left  to  take  care  of  themselves,  with 
constant  bathing  and  well-fitting  shoes,  un- 


CARE   OF   THE   FEET.  163 

less  they  have  begun  to  grow  into  the  flesh, 
when  all  to  be  done  is  to  scrape  a  groove 
lengthwise  in  each  corner  of  the  nail.  The 
whole  foot  should  be  anointed  with  purified 
olive-oil  or  oil  of  sweet  almonds  after  such  a 
bath.  A  pair  of  stockings  should  be  drawn  on 
at  night  to  preserve  the  bedclothes  from  grease- 
spots.  The  oil  will  soak  off  the  old  skin,  and 
wear  away  the  scaly  tissue  about  the  nails, 
while  it  renders  the  soles  as  soft  and  pliant 
as  those  of  a  young  child. 

A  daily  change  of  stockings  is  as  desirable 
for  those  who  walk  out  as  a  fresh  handker- 
chief every  morning — but  how  many  people 
consider  it  necessary?  It  may  sound  auda- 
cious to  suggest  that  when  laundry- work  is  an 
item,  a  lady  would  show  her  ingrain  refine- 
ment by  washing  her  own  Balbriggan  hose  as 
truly  as  by  stinting  herself  to  two  pair  a  week 
on  account  of  washer-women's  bills.  As  for 
the  vulgarity  of  wearing  colored  stockings 
"because  they  show  dirt  less,"  it  is  to  be  re- 
pudiated, save  in  the  case  of  children,  who 


164  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

are  quite  capable  of  going  through  with  a 
box  of  white  stockings  in  a  day,  and  looking 
none  the  cleaner  for  it  at  the  end.  Our  boot- 
makers are  in  fault  about  the  lining  of  shoes, 
which  ought  to  be  changeable  when  soiled. 
Soiled,  indeed  !  When  are  common  shoes  ever 
clean  within  ?  Our  manufacturers  are  the  op- 
posite of  the  French,  whose  workmen  wear 
fresh  linen  aprons,  and  wash  their  hands  every 
hour,  for  fear  of  soiling  the  white  kid  linings 
at  which  they  sew.  The  time  will  come  when 
we  will  find  it  as  shocking  to  our  ideas  to  wear 
out  a  pair  of  boots  without  putting  in  new  lin- 
ing as  we  think  the  habits  of  George  the  First's 
time,  when  maids  of  honor  went  without  wash- 
ing their  faces  for  a  week,  and  people  wore 
out  '.heir  linen  without  the  aid  of  a  laundress. 
Cleanliness  means  health  in  every  case,  and  a 
plea  must  be  offered  for  those  neglected  mem- 
bers, that  only  find  favor  in  our  eyes  by  mak- 
ing themselves  as  diminutive  as  possible. 


A   HOME   ALTAK-PIECE.  165 


CHAPTEE  XVI. 

"The  Leaves  are  Full  of  Joy." — Nobility  of  the  Body. — 
Its  Possibilities. — Brain  and  Heart  Dependent  on  it. — 
Physical  Culture  Imperative  in  America. — Our  Contempt 
of  Health. — Easier  to  be  Magnificent  than  Clean. — Dis- 
tilled Water  for  Every  Use.— Substitute  for  Stills.— Vapor 
and  Sulphur  Baths.  —  Bran  Baths.  —  Oatmeal  for  the 
Hands. — Frequency  of  Baths.  —  Remedies  for  Hepatic 
Spots. 

How  lusty  and  delicate  the  young  leaves 
grow  on  their  steins  in  their  nook  of  sunshine! 
What  could  be  lovelier  in  its  way  than  the 
three  geranium  leaves  starting  from  the  mould 
in  the  window-box  where  the  sun  strikes  across 
the  "corner  of  the  sill?  They  are  so  firmly 
poised,  yet  glancing;  each  full  of  green  juice 
that  the  sun  turns  to  jewel-light,  with  spots  of 
darker  tint  where  the  feathered  edges  overlie 
— a  subtle  piece  of  color  wrought  by  sun  and 
soil  for  no  eye  to  see  but  by  chance,  yet  ecstatic 


166        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

in  its  delight,  as  if  meant  for  the  centre  trefoil 
of  an  altar  window.  So  the  sun  does  all  his 
work.  So  leaves  grow  by  myriads  in  the  gar- 
den and  the  forest.  So  the  forces  of  nature 
bring  forth  every  thing  perfect  if  left  free  to 
their  impulses. 

There  is  something  like  the  leaves  in  our 
frames,  that  would  grow  springy  and  strong, 
soft-colored  and  brilliant,  upright  and  joyous, 
if  it  were  suffered  to.  It  appeals  for  sun- 
shine and  gayety,  for  abundant  food  and  ease, 
for  copious  watering,  tendance,  and  freedom. 
Give  it  these,  and  the  body,  under  present 
conditions,  is  as  far  beyond  its  common  dull- 
ness and  weakness  as  it  is  below  the  saints  in 
light;  for  heavenly  bodies  can  not  be  very  dif- 
ferent from  ours  unless  they  cease  to  be  bodies. 

The  mortal  frame  is  noble  enough  as  it  is. 
No  harp  ever  vibrates  like  it  with  emotion 
and  pleasure ;  no  star  shines  so  fair  or  so  wise 
as  the  face  of  man.  God  made  it,  and  God 
loves  it,  which  is  the  reason  it  wins  so  closely 
upon  us,  and  is  so  dear.  There  is  no  wisdom 


HONORING    THE   FLESH.  167 

in  despising  the  body  or  its  sensations.  It  is 
crudity  to  uphold  that  the  mental  part  of  us 
should  absorb  all  the  rest.  Brain  and  heart 
are  dependent  on  the  body,  and  it  was  meant, 
not  for  the  slave — as  men  seem  never  weary 
of  preaching  —  but  for  the  interpreter  and 
companion  of  both. 

Honor  is  due  the  body,  and  thanks  for  its 
pleasures,  which  should  be  enjoyed  with  in- 
telligence and  leisure.  They  are  no  more 
low  or  debasing  than  mental  pursuits  may  be 
when  pursued  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others. 
The  sensualist  is  no  more  intolerable  in  the 
order  of  nature  than  the  pedant  or  pretender 
in  literature,  and  does  little  more  harm  in  the 
long-rim.  The  former  ruins  himself;  the  lat- 
ter, by  a  false  philosophy,  may  lead  thousands 
astray.  Give  the  body  its  due — its  thirds  witli 
the  mind  and  the  soul.  Neither  is  the  better 
for  having  more  than  its  share. 

The  need  of  physical  culture  grows  more 
and  more  urgent  in  this  country.  Here  most 
unlike  races  mix  sullen  and  mercurial  blood 


1G8  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

together  in  the  most  variable  of  climates. 
They  interchange  habits  as  well,  though  the 
only  one  peculiar  to  Americans  as  such  is  a 
tolerable  contempt  for  the  conditions  of  health 
— a  contempt  inherited  through  half  a  dozen 
generations.  The  climate  is  not  in  fault,  but 
the  people  are.  It  is  much  easier  in  this 
country  to  be  magnificent  than  to  be  clean. 
At  any  hotel  there  is  enough  of  useless  up- 
holstery, as  a  matter  of  course,  but  a  bath  is 
an  extra,  often  not  to  be  had  on  any  terms. 
This  is  the  case  even  in  the  metropolis,  where 
at  least  a  better  idea  of  civilization  ought  to 
prevail.  For  the  rest,  there  is  not  much  to  be 
said  for  the  intelligent  culture  of  any  family 
who  have  carpets  before  their  bath-room  is 
fitted  up. 

When  refinement  has  reached  a  step  beyond 
faucets  and  water-pipes,  each  house  wrill  have 
its  distilling  apparatus  to  provide  the  purest 
water  for  drinking  and  bathing.  Xobody  will 
any  more  think  of  drinking  undistilled  water 
than  they  do  now  of  eating  brown  sugar  when 


DISTILLATION   MADE    EASY.  169 

they  can  get  white.  Her  Majesty  the  Queen 
of  England  uses  nothing  but  distilled  water 
for  her  toilet,  and  the  luxury  and  softness  of 
such  a  bath  are  so  great  that  no  one  used  to 
its  indulgence  will  consent  to  forego  it.  A 
small  still  costs  five  dollars,  and  would  pro- 
vide all  the  water  that  is  needed  for  family 
use.  It  should  be  kept  in  action  all  the  time, 
and  fill  a  close  reservoir  for  bathing,  while  that 
for  cooking  and  drinking  should  be  freshly 
distilled  each  day.  A  simple  substitute  for  a 
still  is  a  tea-kettle,  witli  a  close  cover  and  a 
gutta-percha  or  lead  pipe  fastened  to  the 
spout,  leading  through  a  pail  of  cold  water 
into  a  jar  for  holding  the  distilled  water.  The 
steam  from  .the  boiling  water  goes  off  through 
the  tube,  condenses  under  the  cold  water, 
and  runs  off  pure  into  the  receiver.  Where 
houses  are  heated  by  steam,  I  am  told,  they 
may  be  amply  provided  with  distilled  water 
by  adding  a  pipe  to  one  of  the  tubular  heat- 
ers, that  will  carry  steam  into  a  cooler,  from 
which  pure  water  may  run  day  and  night. 


170  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

Besides  the  distilled-water  baths  in  a  com* 
plete  household,  there  should  be  facilities  for 
the  vapor  bath  at  any  time.  This  is  invalua- 
ble in  colds,  rheumatism,  congestions,  and  neu- 
ralgia. The  readiest  substitute  is  the  rush- 
bottomed  chair  and  lighted  saucer  of  alcohol 
described  in  a  former  chapter.  A  sulphur 
bath  requires  a  shallow  pan  of  coals  with  a 
tin  water -pan  above  it,  and  an  elevated  seat 
over  the  whole.  Sulphur  is  thrown  on  the 
coals,  which  mingles  with  the  steam,  and  en- 
ters the  system  by  the  pores,  which  are  opened 
by  the  vapor.  The  patient,  brazier,  and  chair 
must  be  enveloped  with  a  water-proof  cover- 
ing in  the  closest  manner,  leaving  only  the 
head  exposed,  so  that  no  sulphurous  vapor  can 
possibly  be  breathed,  as  that  would  be  suf- 
focation at  once.  In  regular  bathing  estab- 
lishments the  patient  sits  in  a  wooden  box, 
having  a  cover  and  a  water-proof  collar  which 
fits  tight  about  the  neck,  leaving  the  head  out. 
This  box  is  tilled  with  steam  by  a  pipe,  and 
the  vapor  impregnated  with  sulphur  from  a 


BKAN   BATHS.  171 

spoonful  burning  in  one  corner  of  the  box, 
or  from  a  generator  outside  with  connecting 
tube.  It  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  ad- 
minister a  sulphur  bath  without  proper  and 
special  appliances. 

The  bran  bath,  recommended  before,  is  taken 
with  a  peck  of  common  bran,  such  as  is  used 
to  stuff  pincushions,  stirred  into  a  tub  of  warm 
water.  The  rubbing  of  the  scaly  particles  of 
the  bran  cleanses  the  skin,  while  the  gluten  in 
it  softens  and  strengthens  the  tissues.  Oat- 
meal is  even  better,  as  it  contains  a  small 
amount  of  oil  that  is  good  for  the  skin.  For 
susceptible  persons,  the  tepid  bran  bath  is  bet- 
Ur  than  a  cold  shower-bath.  The  friction  of 
the  loose  bran  calls  the  circulation  to  the  sur- 
face. In  France  the  bran  is  tied  in  a  bag  for 
the  bath,  but  this  gives  only  the  benefit  of  the 
gluten,  not  that  of  the  irritation. 

The  frequency  of  the  bath  should  be  deter- 
mined, after  it  has  been  taken  for  a  week  or 
two,  by  feeling.  Take  the  refreshment  as  oft- 
en as  the  system  desires  it.  The  harm  is  done 
12 


172  THE    UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 

not  so  much  by  bathing  often  as  by  staying  in 
the  water  long  at  a  time.  A  hot  soap-suds 
bath  once  a  week  is  beneficial  to  persons  with 
moist  and  oily  skins.  Bay-rum  and  camphor 
may  be  used  to  advantage  by  such  persons 
each  time  after  washing  the  face.  The  hot 
suds  bath  should  be  taken  thrice  a  week  by 
those  who  wish  to  remove  moth  patches. 

One  of  the  best  ways  to  make  the  hands 
soft  and  white  is  to  wear  at  night  large  mit- 
tens of  cloth  filled  with  wet  bran  or  oatmeal, 
and  tied  closely  at  the  wrist.  A  lady  who 
had  the  finest,  softest  hands  in  the  county 
confessed  that  she  had  a  great  deal  of  house- 
work to  do,  but  kept  them  white  by  wearing 
bran  mittens  every  night. 

Pastes  and  poultices  for  the  face  owe  most 
of  their  efficacy  to  the  moisture,  which  dis- 
solves the  old  coarse  skin,  and  the  protection 
they  afford  from  the  air,  which  allows  the 
new  skin  to  form  tender  and  delicate.  Oat^ 
meal  paste  is  efficacious  as  any  thing,  though 
less  agreeable  than  the  pastes  made  with  white 


REGIMEN   FOR   HEPATIC    SPOTS.  173 

of  egg,  alum,  and  rose-water.  The  alum  as- 
tringes  the  flesh,  making  it  firm,  while  the  egg 
keeps  it>  sufficiently  soft,  and  the  rose-water 
perfumes  the  mixture. 

What  are  called  indiscriminately  moth, 
mask,  morphew,  and,  by  physicians,  hepatic 
spots,  are  the  sign  of  deep-seated  disease  of 
the  liver.  Taraxacum,  the  extract  of  dande- 
lion root,  is  the  standing  remedy  for  this, 
and  the  usual  prescription  is  a  large  pill  four 
nights  in  a  week,  sometimes  for  months.  To 
this  may  be  added  the  free  use  of  tomatoes, 
iigs,  mustard-seed,  and  all  seedy  fruits  and 
vegetables,  with  light  broiled  meats,  and  no 
bread  but  that  of  coarse  flour.  Pastry,  pud- 
dings of  most  sorts,  and  fried  food  of  all  kinds 
must  be  dispensed  with  by  persons  having  a 
tendency  to  this  disease.  It  may  take  six 
weeks,  or  even  months,  to  make  any  visible 
impression  on  either  the  health  or  the  moth 
patches,  but  success  will  come  at  last.  One 
third  of  a  teaspoonf  ul  of  chlorate  of  soda  in 
a  wine-glass  of  water,  taken  in  three  doses, 


174:  THE   UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 

before  meals,  will  aid  the  recovery  by  neutral- 
izing morbid  matters  in  the  stomach.  There 
is  no  sure  cosmetic  that  will  reach  tiie  moth 
patches.  Such  treatment  as  described,  such 
exercise  as  is  tempting  in  itself,  and  gay  so- 
ciety, will  restore  one  to  conditions  of  health 
in  which  the  extinction  of  these  blotches  is 
certain. 


SYSTEM   OF   REDUCING   FLESH.  175 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Banting  System. — A  Quaint  Author.— Trials  of  Corpu- 
lency.— Result  of  Living  on  Sixpence  a  Day. — Indifference 
of  Doctors. — A  Wise  Surgeon. — Relation  of  Glucose  to 
Obesity. — Diet  for  Stout  People. — No  Starch,  no  Sugar. — 
Losing  Flesh  at  the  Rate  of  a  Pound  a  Week.  — "  Human 
Beans." — Humors  of  Banting's  Tract. — His  Gratitude. — 
Honors  to  Dr.  Harvey.  —  One  Day  with  Dives,  the  Next 
with  Lazarus. — Bromide  of  Ammonia. 

BEQUEST  is  often  made  for  the  details  of 
Mr.  Banting's  system  of  reducing  flesh.  The 
popular  idea  of  the  writer,  whose  modest  pam- 
phlet has  linked  his  name  with  the  system  he 
observed,  is  very  like  the  caricature  of  the 
dry  modern  savant.  The  severe  scientist  who 
keeps  his  child  for  years  without  fire  or  clothes 
to  demonstrate  the  superiority  of  human  be- 
ings to  cold,  or  who  throws  a  new-born  baby 
into  a  tub  of  water  to  prove  that  the  race  can 
swim  by  nature,  should  not  be  mentioned  on 


176  THE    UGLY -GIRL   PAPERS. 

the  same  page  with  the  kindly  enthusiast  of 
the  letter  on  corpulency. 

There  is  no  evidence  in  its  pages  that  the 
writer  ever  tried  authorship  before.  He  was 
over  sixty-six  years  old,  when,  in  a  burst  of 
gratitude  for  his  relief  from  the  burden  of  too 
much  flesh,  he  took  up  his  pen  to  tell  his  fel- 
low-creatures of  help  for  those  who  suffer  a 
like  infliction.  The  quaintness  of  his  pages 
reminds  one  of  Izaak  Walton,  from  his  open- 
ing sentences,  where  he  declares,  "  Of  all  the 
parasites  that  affect  humanity,  I  do  not  know 
of,  nor  can  I  imagine,  any  more  distressing 
than  that  of  obesity  " — an  opinion  with  which 
all  his  fellow-sufferers  will  agree.  He  is  fond 
of  terming  his  grievance  a  parasite,  and  the 
name  slips  out  with  a  frequency  which  is  like 
the  echo  of  objurgations  hurled  at  his  infirm- 
ity. Being  called  to  account  for  it  later,  he 
meekly  declares  that  the  word  is  used  wholly 
in  a  figurative  sense.  His  state  might  have 
justified  a  stronger  epithet.  No  parents  on 
either  side,  to  use  his  own  phrase,  ever  showed 


BUKDEN   OF   THE   FLESH.  177 

a  tendency  to  corpulency,  but  between  thirty 
and  forty  he  found  the  habit  growing  upon 
him.  His  physician  advised  violent  exercise, 
and  he  took  to  rowing.  Finding  his  flesh  in- 
crease, lie  consulted  "high  orthodox  authority 
(never  any  inferior  adviser),  tried  sea  air  and 
bathing,  took  gallons  of  physic  and  liquor  po- 
tassse,  always  by  advice,  rode  horseback,  drank 
the  waters  of  Leamington,  Cheltenham,  and 
Harrowgate" — doses  enough,  we  should  think, 
to  have  disgusted  him  with  life  forever— 
u  lived  on  sixpence  a  clay,  and  earned  it,  at 
least  by  hard  labor,  and  used  vapor  baths 
and  shampooing,"  without  any  help  for  his  in- 
firmity. 

The  rich  gentleman  found  his  position,  the 
good  things  of  this  life,  his  houses,  horses,  and 
friends,  small  enjoyment,  save  as  they  lessened 
the  increasing  burden  life  heaped  upon  him. 
He  was  obedient  and  intelligent  in  using  every 
means  of  relief  suggested,  but  his  doctors  were 
of  very  small  use  to  him.  As  he  pathetically 
says,  "  When  a  corpulent  man  eats,  drinks,  and 


178  THE  «UGLY-  GIRL   PAPERS. 

sleeps  well,  has  no  pain  and  no  organic  dis- 
ease, the  judgment  of  able  men  seems  para- 
lyzed." His  state  was  pitiable,  and  there  are 
too  many  companions  in  distress  who  answer 
to  the  same  picture.  He  could  not  tie  his 
shoe,  and  often  had  to  go  down  stairs  slowly 
backward,  to  save  the  jar  of  increased  weight 
on  his  ankles  and  knee-joints.  Low  living  was 
prescribed,  and  he  followed  it  so  heartily  that 
he  brought  his  system  into  a  low,  irritable 
state,  and  broke  out  in  boils  and  large  car- 
buncles, for  which  he  had  to  be  treated  and 
"toned  tip"  in  a  way  that  brought  him  into 
heavier  condition  than  ever. 

He  speaks  feelingly,  yet  with  simple  dignity, 
of  the  trials  which  stout  people  endure,  being 
crowded  in  cars  and  stages,  uncomfortable  in 
warm  theatres  and  lecture-rooms,  besides  find- 
ing themselves  the  butt  of  ridicule,  or,  at  least, 
the  object  of  remark.  The  last  caused  him 
for  many  years  to  give  up  public  pleasures. 
Many  persons,  as  they  read,  will  have  cause  to 
reproach  themselves,  for  those  who  are  con- 


TURKISH  BATHS  IN  CORPULENCY.     179 

siderate  of  every  other  species  of  human  in- 
firmity fail  to  recognize  the  real  suffering  of 
those  who  carry  a  load  of  flesh.  A  sensitive 
person  encumbered  with  adipose  feels  keenly 
the  glances,  if  not  the  smiles,  which  follow  his 
entrance  into  a  public  vehicle.  It  is  a  test  of 
delicacy  for  others  to  appear  unconscious  of 
his  infirmity. 

When  Turkish  baths  came  into  fashion,  Mr. 
Banting  tried  them,  with  the  result  of  six 
pounds'  loss  after  taking  fifty  baths,  which  was 
not  encouraging,  though  they  have  been  of 
service  in  other  like  instances.  In  August, 
1862,  his  case  stood  thus :  He  was  nearly  sixty- 
six  years  old,  five  feet  five  inches  high,  and 
weighed  over  two  hundred  pounds.  He  went 
to  no  excess  in  eating  or  drinking,  his  diet 
being  chiefly  bread,  beer,  milk,  vegetables, 
and  pastry.  Flesh  impeded  his  breathing,  his 
eye-sight  failed,  and  he  lost  his  hearing,  yet 
most  of  the  doctors  lie  went  to  for  relief  con- 
sidered his  trouble  of  no  account,  as  one  of  the 
accompaniments  of  age,  like  wrinkles  and  gray 


180         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

hairs.  The  faculty  are  to  blame  for  overlook 
ing  such  a  foe  to  human  comfort. 

Mr.  William  Harvey,  Surgeon  of  the  Koyal 
Dispensary  for  Diseases  of  the  Ear,  was  the 
first  person  wise  and  considerate  enough  to 
prescribe  a  remedy.  He  reasoned  from  M. 
Bernard's  accepted  theory  of  the  product  of 
glucose  as  well  as  bile  from  the  liver.  Glu- 
cose is  allied  to  starch  and  saccharine  mat- 
ter, and  is  produced  in  the  liver  by  ingest  ion 
of  sugar  and  starch.  The  substance  is  always 
present  in  excess  both  in  diabetes  and  obesity, 
and  it  struck  this  eminent  surgeon  that  the 
same  dry  diet  which  drains  the  excess  of  glu- 
cose in  the  former  disease  might  be  of  service 
in  the  latter.  Abstinence  from  food  contain- 
ing starch  and  sugar  reduces  diabetes,  and  ac- 
cordingly he  prescribed  it  for  his  patient.  He 
was  to  leave  off  all  bread,  milk,  butter,  beer, 
sugar,  and  potatoes,  besides  other  root  vegeta- 
bles, as  these  contain  the  largest  amount  of  fat 
material. 

Yet  the  diet  allowed  was  liberal.    Breakfast 


SPARE   DIET.  181 

Was  four  or  five  ounces  of  beef,  mutton,  kid- 
ney, broiled  fish,  and  any  cold  meat  except 
veal  and  pork;  a  large  cup  of  tea  without  milk 
or  sugar,  a  little  biscuit — i.  £.,  crackers — or  an 
ounce  of  dry  toast. 

Dinner :  five  or  six  ounces  of  any  fish  ex- 
cept salmon,  herring,  and  eels,  which  are  too 
fat ;  any  vegetables  but  potatoes,  beets,  par- 
snips, carrots,  or  turnips,  green  vegetables  be- 
ing especially  good;  an  ounce  of  dry  toast; 
the  fruit  of  a  pudding ;  any  poultry  or  game ; 
two  or  three  glasses  of  good  claret,  sherry,  or 
Madeira,  but  no  champagne,  port,  or  beer. 

Tea :  two  or  three  ounces  of  fruit,  a  rusk  or 
two,  and  a  cup  of  tea  without  milk  or  sugar. 
Supper,  at  nine  :  three  or  four  ounces  of  meat 
or  fish,  and  a  glass  of  claret.  Before  going  to 
bed,  if  desired,  a  nightcap  of  grog  without  sug- 
ar was  allowed,  or  a  glass  of  claret  or  sherry. 

This  was  comfortable  compared  to  his  for- 
mer diet,  which  was  bread  and  milk  for  break- 
fast, or  a  pint  of  tea,  with  plenty  of  milk  and 
sugar,  and  buttered  toast;  dinner  of  meat, 


182         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

beer,  bread,  of  which  he  ate  a  great  deal, 
and  pastry,  of  which  he  was  fond,  with  fruit 
tart  and  bread  and  meat  for  supper.  Yet  on 
the  liberal  diet  his  flesh  went  down  at  the  rate 
of  more  than  a  pound  a  week  for  thirty-five 
weeks. 

He  explains  his  belief  that  certain  food  is 
as  bad  for  elderly  people  as  beans  are  for 
horses,  and  thenceforth  he  calls  the  forbidden 
food  "human  beans."  He  suffers  himself  to 
make  a  little  mirth  over  the  enemy  that  held 
him  in  durance  sp  long.  We  can  well  believe 
he  would  "scrupulously  avoid  those  beans, 
such  as  milk,  beer,  sugar,  and  potatoes,"  after 
he  had  groaned  a  score  of  years  from  "  that 
dreadful  tormenting  parasite  on  health  and 
comfort."  He  sensibly  writes  his  opinion  that 
"  corpulence  must  naturally  press  with  undue 
violence  upon  the  bodily  viscera,  driving  one 
part  on  another,  and  stopping  the  free  action 
of  all."  He  calls  Mr.  Harvey's  system  "the 
tram-road  for  obesity,"  and  says,  "  The  great 
charm  and  comfort  of  this  system  is  that  its 


RESULTS    OF    CAREFUL   DIET.  183 

effects    are    palpable    within    one    week    of 
trial." 

He  protests  that  he  found  not  the  slight- 
est inconvenience  in  the  probational  remedy, 
which  reduced  his  girth  twelve  inches  and  his 
weight  thirty-eight  pounds  in  thirty-five  weeks. 
He  could  go  up  and  down  stairs  naturally,  and 
perform  every  necessary  office  for  himself 
without  the  slightest  trouble;  his  sight  was 
restored,  and  his  hearing  unimpaired.  In  to- 
ken of  his  gratitude,  he  gave  the  doctor,  be- 
sides his  fees,  the  sum  of  £50,  to  be  distrib- 
uted among  the  hospital  patients.  To  prove 
the  reality  of  his  dedication  of  his  letter  "to 
the  public  simply  and  entirely  from  an  ear- 
nest desire  to  benefit  his  fellow-creatures,"  the 
editions  were  distributed  gratuitously  in  hopes 
of  reaching  his  fellow-sufferers  from  flesh.  He 
was  eager  that  they  should  find  the  relief  which 
to  him  was  rapturous.  It  must  have  reached 
some  cases,  for  more  than  58,000  copies  had 
been  issued  at  the  date  of  this  edition.  The 
author  was  urged  to  sell  his  work,  even  if  the 


184        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

proceeds  were  given  to  the  poor;  but  with  the 
sensitiveness  of  a  man  not  used  to  appear  in 
public,  he  says,  "  On  reflection,  I  feared  my 
motives  might  be  mistaken/'  In  giving  the 
credit  of  this  system  to  Dr.  Harvey,  we  are 
sure  of  obeying  the  wishes  of  the  author,  who 
speaks  of  his  benefactor  witli  extreme  grati- 
tude, and  says,  "  He  has  since  been  told  it  is  a 
remedy  as  old  as  the  hills,  but  the  application  is 
of  recent  date."  He  thinks  any  one  who  suf- 
fers from  obesity  may  "  prudently  mount  guard 
over  the  enemy,  if  he  is  not  a  fool  to  himself." 
He  was  so  far  delivered  from  his  malady  as 
to  indulge  in  the  forbidden  articles  of  food; 
but  says,  "  I  have  to  keep  careful  watch,  so 
that  if  I  choose  to  spend  a  day  or  two  with 
Dives,  I  must  not  forget  to  devote  the  next  to 
Lazarus." 

No  medicine  was  given  with  this  diet  save 
a  volatile  alkali  draught  in  the  morning  dur- 
ing the  first  month.  This  was  probably  the 
bromide  of  ammonia,  which  is  of  great  use  in 
reducing  an  over-amount  of  flesh. 


ONE  OF  THE  UGLY  GIRLS.        185 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A  Letter. — Trials  of  a  Plain  Woman. — The  Best  Husband 
in  the  World. — Burdock  Wash  for  the  Hair. — For  Chil- 
dren's Hair. — Oil  of  Mace  as  a  Stimulant. — To  Restore 
Color  to  the  Hair. — Sperm-oil  a  Powerful  Hair  Restorer. 
—The  Cheapest  Hair-Dye. — Cure  for  Chilblains. — Loose 
Shoes  the  Cause  of  Corns. — Pyroligneous  Acid  for  Corns. 
— Turpentine  and  Carbolic  Acid  for  Soft  Corns. 

AMONG  inquiries  not  seldom  repeated  is  an 
urgent  demand  for  a  prescription  to  keep  the 
hair  from  coming  out.  The  following  letter 
will  be  acceptable  to  many  readers. 

"I  was  emphatically  one  of  the  'ugly  girls,'  being  of  a 
very  large  figure,  and  inheriting  thin  hair ;  otherwise  I  suited 
myself  well  enough.  But  oh !  the  agonies  I  have  suffered 
through  my  personal  deficiencies.  Now,  with  a  happy  home 
of  my  own  and  the  best  husband  in  the  world,  I  can  smile 
at  the  old  distress.  Yet  it  was  no  less  real,  and  I  can  pity 
the  ugly  girls  as  nobody  but  one  who  has  'been  there'  can. 

"  My  hair  began  coming  out  when  I  was  just  in  my  teens, 
and  has  always  been  the  trial  of  my  life.  I  have  been  up 


186  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

and  down  the  whole  scale  of  restoratives,  with  all  manner 
of  recipes  volunteered  by  sympathizing  friends.  Last  fall, 
after  returning  from  a  two  months'  stay  near  Saratoga,  where 
I  had  undergone  a  severe  course  of  treatment  for  sundry  phys- 
ical ills,  my  hair  came  out  frightfully,  till  I  was  almost  with- 
out any,  and  nothing  seemed  to  check  it.  A  relative,  an  old 
lady,  told  me  to  use  burdock-root  tea.  I  tried  it,  and  it 
worked  like  a  charm.  My  hair  has  never  grown  as  it  does 
now,  and  it  has  absolutely  ceased  coming  out — something 
that  has  not  been  the  case  for  fifteen  years.  Something  of 
this  may  be  due,  as  far  as  growth  is  concerned,  to  a  receipt 
given  me  by  a  friend  a  month  or  so  ago.  It  is  a  family  re- 
ceipt, and  something  of  a  family  secret.  The  ladies  of  the 
house,  who  use  it,  have  magnificent  hair,  which  they  attrib- 
ute to  this  receipt.  It  is  a  queer  conglomerate,  as  you  see : 
One  pound  of  yellow-dock  root,  boiled  in  five  pints  of  water 
till  reduced  to  one  pint ;  strain,  and  add  an  ounce  of  pulver- 
ized borax,  half  an  ounce  of  coarse  salt,  three  ounces  of  sweet- 
oil,  a  pint  of  New  England  rum,  and  the  juice  of  three  large 
red  onions,  perfumed  at  pleasure — (a  quarter  of  an  ounce  o^ 
oil  of  lavender  and  ten  grains  of  ambergris  would  be  effica. 
cious  in  overcoming  the  powerful  scent  of  the  ingredients). 

"My  little  girl  has  magnificent  hair,  but  it  troubles  me 
by  coming  out  this  winter.  As  she  is  only  five  years  old, 
I  have  hesitated  about  putting  any  thing  on.  I  wish  you 
would  s(  me  time  say  if  it  is  best  to  doctor  a  child's  hair,  or 
let  nature  take  its  course.  I  have  learned  that  to  shampoo 
the  head  with  cold  water  every  morning  is  an  excellent  thing, 


OIL   OF   MAObi.  (87 

ws  is  an  occasional  thorough  washing  with  soap-suas,  not  rins 
ing  the  soap  out  completely.  I  have  sometimes  checked  the 
^ill  of  hair  by  such  means.  The  burdock  root  was  also  use^ 
yy  steeping  it  in  boiling  water  till  a  strong  tea  was  madc^ 
and  used  as  a  wash  two  or  three  times  a  day,  then  at  longer 
intervals." 

In  answer  to  the  query  in  the  excellent  let- 
ter above,  it  may  be  said  that  it  is  always  well 
to  cure  where  there  is  disease.  Simple  rem- 
edies aid  nature.  A  child's  hair  is  too  valu- 
able to  lose.  One  teaspoonful  of  ammonia  to 
a  pint  of  warm  water  makes  a  wash  that  may 
be  need  on  a  child's  head  daily  with  safety. 
It  does  riot  split  the  hair,  as  soap  will  do  if 
left  to  dry  in. 

One  of  the  most  powerful  stimulants  and 
restoratives  for  the  hair  is  the  oil  of  mace. 
Those  who  want  something  to  bring  hair  in 

o  o 

again  are  advised  to  try  it  in  preference  to 
cantharides,  which  it  is  said  to  equal,  if  not  to 
surpass,  without  the  danger  of  the  latter.    A 
strong  tincture  for  the  hair  is  made  by  add 
ing  half  an   ounce  of  the  oil  of  mace  to  a 

*>int  of  deodorized  alcohol.     Pour  a  spoonful 
13 


188  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

or  two  into  a  saucer;  dip  a  small,  stiff  brush 
into  it,  and  brush  the  hair  smartly,  rubbing 
the  tincture  well  into  the  roots.  On  bald 
spots,  if  hair  will  start  at  all,  it  may  be  stim- 
ulated by  friction  with  a  piece  of  flannel  till 
the  skin  looks  red,  and  rubbing  the  tincture 
into  the  scalp.  This  process  must  be  repeated 
three  times  a  day  for  weeks.  When  the  hair 
begins  to  grow,  apply  the  tincture  once  a  day 
till  the  growth  is  well  established,  bathing  the 
head  in  cold  water  every  morning,  and  briskly 
brushing  it  to  bring  the  blood  to  the  surface. 

When  the  hair  loses  color,  it  may  be  re- 
stored by  bathing  the  head  in  a  weak  solution 
of  ammonia,  an  even  teaspoonful  of  carbonate 
of  ammonia  to  a  quart  of  water,  washing  the 
head  with  a  crash  mitten,  and  brushing  the 
hair  thoroughly  while  wet.  Bathing  the  head 
in  a  strong  solution  of  rock-salt  is  said  to  re- 
store gray  hair  in  some  cases.  Pour  boiling 
water  on  rock-salt  in  the  proportion  of  two 
heaping  table-spoonfuls  to  a  quart  of  water, 
and  let  it  stand  till  cold  before  using. 


A   CHEAP   IIAIE-DYE.  189 

The  old  specific  of  bear's  grease  for  the  hair 
is  hardly  found  now,  and  one  can  never  be 
sure  of  getting  the  real  article ;'  but  an  equal- 
ly powerful  application  is  discovered  in  pure 
sperm-oil,  of  the  very  freshest,  finest  quality. 
This  forms  the  basis  of  successful  hair  restor- 
atives, and  will  not  fail  of  effect  if  used  alone. 
It  is,  however,  procured  in  proper  freshness 
only  by  special  importation  from  the  north 
coast  of  Europe. 

In  the  list  of  hair-dyes,  one  agent  has  long 
been  overlooked  which  is  found  in  the  hum- 
blest households.  It  is  too  common  and  hum- 
ble, indeed,  to  excite  confidence  at  first ;  but 
it  is  said  that  the  water  in  which  potatoes 
have  been  boiled  with  the  skins  on  forms  a 
speedy  and  harmless  dye  for  the  hair  and  eye- 
brows. The  parings  of  potatoes  before  cook- 
ing may  be  boiled  by  themselves,  and  the  wa- 
ter strained  off  for  use.  To  apply  it,  the 
shoulders  should  be  covered  with  cloths  to 
protect  the  dress,  and  a  fine  comb  dipped  in 
the  water  drawn  through  the  hair,  wetting  it 


190        THE  UGLY -GIRL  TAPERS. 

at  each  stroke,  till  the  head  is  thoroughly 
soaked.  Let  the  hair  dry  thoroughly  before 
putting  it  up.  If  the  result  is  not  satisfactory 
the  first  time,  repeat  the  wetting  with  a  sponge, 
taking  care  not  to  discolor  the  skin  of  the 
brow  and  neck.  Exposing  the  hair  to  the  sun 
out-of-doors  will  darken  and  set  this  dye.  Xo 
hesitation  need  be  felt  about  trying  this,  for 
potato  -  water  is  a  safe  article  used  in  the 
household  pharmacopoeia  in  a  variety  of  ways. 
It  relieves  chilblains  if  the  feet  are  soaked  in 
it  while  the  water  is  hot,  and  is  said  to  ease 
rheumatic  gout. 

Inquiries  have  been  made  after  a  cure  for 
corns.  It  is  not  always  the  case  that  they 
come  from  wearing  tight  shoes.  I  have  seen 
troublesome  ones  produced  by  wearing  a  loose 
cloth  shoe  that  rubbed  the  sides  of  the  foot. 
It  is  best  always  to  wear  a  snugly  fitting  shoe 
of  light,  soft  leather,  not  so  tight  as  to  be  pain- 
ful, nor  loose  enough  to  allow  the  foot  to 
spread.  The  muscles  are  grateful  for  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  compression,  which -helps  them 
to  do  their  work 


APPLICATIONS   FOE   COENS.  191 

When  corns  are  troublesome,  make  a  shield 
of  buckskin  leather  an  inch  or  two  across,  with 
a  hole  cut  in  the  centre  the  size  of  the  corn  ; 
touch  the  exposed  spot  with  pyroligneous  acid, 
which  will  eat  it  away  in  a  few  applications. 
Eesides  this,  a  strong  mixture  of  carbolic  acid 
and  glycerine  is  good — say  one  half  as  much 
acid  as  glycerine.  Of  course,  only  a  very 
small  quantity  will  be  needed,  and  it  must  be 
kept  out  of  the  way,  for  it  is  a  burning  poison. 
In  default  of  these,  turpentine  may  be  used 
both  for  corns  and  bunions.  A  weaker  solu- 
tion of  carbolic  acid  will  heal  soft  corns  be- 
tween the  toes. 


192  THE  UGLY-GIUF,  r.\w:us. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A.  Talk  about  Complexions. — Delicate  Lotion. — Cause  of 
Rough  Faces.  —  Sun  Painting  and  Bleaching.  —  Court 
Laclies  Refusing  to  Wash  their  Faces. — Experiments 
with  Olive-tar. — Consumption  and  Clear  Faces. — Rev. 
W.  H.  H.  Murray  on  Olive-tar. — Porcelain  Women. — 
Drawing  Humors  to  the  Surface. — What  is  to  be  Done 
for  the  Weak  Women  ? 

A  SOUTHERN  lady  sends  the  following  recipe 
for  glycerine  lotion,  which  is  refined  and  pleas- 
ant as  well  as  useful.  The  pain  of  sunburned 
and  freckled  skin,  so  troublesome  to  many  of 
our  fair  readers,  can  be  relieved,  and  the  shin- 
ing morning  face  of  youth  restored,  by  this  ap- 
plication :  Take  one  ounce  of  sweet  almonds, 
or  of  pistachio-nuts,  half  a  pint  of  elder  or 
rose  water,  and  one  ounce  of  pure  glycerine ; 
grate  the  nuts,  put  the  powder  in  a  little  bag 
of  linen,  and  squeeze  it  for  several  minutes  in 
the  rose-water;  then  add  glycerine  and  a  little 


CLEAN   FACES    AND    CLEAN   BODIES.         193 

perfume.  It  may  be  used  by  wetting  the  face 
with  it  two  or  three  times  a  day.  This  is  a 
grateful  application  for  a  parched,  rough  skin. 
It  should  be  allowed  to  dry  thoroughly,  when, 
if  it  feel  sticky  or  pasty,  it  may  be  washed  off 
with  warm  water. 

•The  reason  why  so  many  young  women 
have  rough  faces  is,  they  wash  their  faces  ev- 
ery day  but  neglect  to  cleanse  their  bodies. 
The  pores  are  clogged  by  secretions,  and 
morbid  matters  in  the  blood  break  out  in  the 
only  free  spot,  the  face.  The  ladies  of  King 
George's  court  were  perfectly  logical  when 
they  refused  to  wash  their  faces  lest  it  should 
spoil  their  complexions.  They  seldom  washed 
either  bodies  or  linen,  and  it  was  dangerous  to 
give  their  festering  blood  an  outlet  by  clear- 
ing a  place  for  it. 

Full-blooded  girls  whose  complexions  give 
them  trouble  should  not  eat  fat  meat  save  in 
the  depth  of  winter,  nor  drink  milk".  They 
may  take  these  in  after-years,  if  they  grow  thin 
and  weak  from  hard  work  or  the  nursing  of 


194  THE    UGLY-GIRL    TAPERS. 

children.  Their  systems  can  turn  the  grapes 
and  pears  they  ought  to  feed  on,  the  fish, 
chicken,  and  lean  meat,  the  nutty  oatmeal  and 
wheat  cakes  (not  mushes),  into  flesh  enough  to 
round  their  elbows,  and  strength  enough  to 
make  their  walk  like  the  figure  of  a  dance. 
They  should  try  daily  bathing,  or  rather  scrub- 
bing with  soap  and  hot  water,  followed  by  a 
cold  dip,  a  process  taking  a  matter  of  ten  min- 
utes a  day,  at  most,  if  they  know  the  meaning 
of  dispatch.  Very  likely  they  will  need  a  few 
bottles  of  Saratoga  water  or  doses  of  salts  to 
clear  the  blood,  adhering  religiously  to  a  Gra- 
ham diet  the  while,  or  their  last  state  after  the 
medicine  will  be  worse  than  the  first.  After 
taking  the  sulphur  vapor-baths  they  must  go 
out  of  doors,  and  finish  bleaching  themselves 
in  the  sun.  By  living  in  it  five  hours  a  day, 
they  may  gain  the  lovely  painted  marble  of 
the  English  girFs  face,  who  reaps  all  day  in 
the  harvest  field. 

Cosmetics  sometimes  play  tricks  with  fair 
skins  which  are  quite  mysterious  to  the  un- 


OLIVE- TAK.  195 

lucky  subject.  This  is  the  case  with  the  tar 
and  olive  ointment  named  a  few  chapters  ago. 
Those  who  find  that  its  application  brings  out 
a  fearful  crop  of  pimples,  and  turns  the  skin 
yellow,  should  feel  that  the  ointment  has  been 
a  friend  to  them,  in  detecting  a  state  of  the 
blood  that  is  any  thing  but  safe.  People  of 
sedentary  habits,  wiio  pay  little  attention  to 
their  health,  are  not  aware  how  vitiated  their 
blood  may  be  for  want  of  sunshine,  good  food, 
and  exercise.  Its  torpid  current  leaves  no 
mark  of  disease  on  the  surface;  humors  con- 
centrate in  the  vital  organs,  and  finally  appear 
in  the  form  of  chronic  disorders.  Consump- 
tion leaves  the  skin  clear  and  brilliant,  because 
the  morbid  matters  which  usually  pass  off 
through  the  skin  are  eating  away  the  life  in 
ulcers  beneath.  The  tar  brings  them  to  the 
surface,  and  one  application  sometimes  leaves 
a  face  in  a  sorry  state.  Three  ladies  of  dif- 
ferent families  tried  the  recipe  at  the  same 
time,  with  frightful  results,  for  the  reason  that 
they  were  all  in  the  state  when  a  dose  of  blood 


196  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPEKS. 

purifier  would  have  Had  the  same  effect.  One 
lady  kept  on  using  the  lotion,  and  her  face 
became  smooth  after  trying  it  three  or  four 
times.  When  people  perspire  freely,  such  un- 
happy effects  are  seldom  noticed.  Apropos  of 
this,  come  a  few  lines  from  W.  H.  H.  Murray, 
the  author  of  the  Hand-book  of  the  Adiron- 
dacJcs.  A  lady  who  was  puzzled  by  the  effect 
of  the  cosmetic  wrote  to  him  about  it,  knowing 
he  was  familiar  with  its  use  in  the  mountains, 
and  received  this  merry  answer: 

"I  have  had  a  hearty  laugh  over  your  perplexity.  All 
I  know  is,  the  mixture  was  common  sailors'  tar  and  sweet- 
oil,  with  the  consistency  of  sirup.  Our  party,  ladies  and 
gentlemen  both,  have  used  it  freely  for  years  in  the  woods, 
and  the  ladies  have  always  declared  that  it  made  their  skin 
as  soft  as  satin.  Certain  it  is,  it  never  caused  any  rash  in 
their  case." 

Delicate,  fair-skinned  women  are  the  very 
ones  on  whom  this  cosmetic  will  have  the 
effect  of  drawing  humors  to  the  surface. 
Heavens!  how  many  of  this  sort  there  are  in 
the  world — pale,  shadowy  as  porcelain,  fragile 
of  bone  and  tender  of  skin,  about  as  useful  as 


WEAK    WOMEN.  197 

wish-bones  of  a  Christmas  chicken  !  The*y  have 
intense  souls;  it  is  a  pity  they  have  not  enough 
body  to  hold  them.  Is  there  not  wit  enough 
in  the  world  to  conjure  flesh  to  the  bones  and 
strength  to  the  muscles  of  this  great  army  of 
weak  women  ? 


198  THE    tOLY-GIKL    PAPERS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Sulphur  Baths.  —  Bleaching  Old  Faces.  —  Experiments  in 
Bathing.  —  Cautions.  —  Need  of  Public  Baths.  —  Their 
Proper  Prices. — Method  of  Giving  Sulphur  Vapor-baths. 
— Hot  Baths  for  Hot  Weather. — Russian  Baths  at  Home. 
— Improvements  Needed  in  Public  Baths. — What  they 
Should  be. — What  they  Are. — The  Russian  Vapor-bath. 
— After-Sensations. — Brightness  and  Lightness  of  Health. 
— Reverence  for  the  Physical. — Influence  of  Bathing  on 
the  Nerves  and  Passions. — Necessity  of  Public  Baths. 

IT  is  not  a  little  amusing  to  receive  requests 
for  a  way  to  give  sulphur  vapor-baths  to  the 
face  alone.  Somebody  wants  a  fair  complex- 
ion, and  fancies  it  may  be  gained  by  bleaching 
the  face  like  an  old  Leghorn  bonnet  in  a  bar- 
rel. Aside  from  the  certainty  of  being  choked 
to  death  by  this  method,  there  is  no  way  of. 
whitening  and  refining  the  face  by  applica- 
tions to  it  alone,  when  the  conditions  of  health 
are  not  regarded  in  other  things.  Carbolic 


EXPERIMENTAL   BATHING.  199 

acid  may  heal  pimples,  and  glycerine  masks 
soften  the  skin  ;  but  lovely  red  and  white, 
with  lips  like  currants,  and  skin  like  the  flesh 
of  young  cranberries,  can  not  be  had  unless 
the  blood  is  pure.  For  this  it  is  indispensable 
that  food  should  be  regulated,  plenty  of  ex- 
ercise and  sunshine  taken,  and  all  the  bodily 
functions  kept  in  the  best  order. 

The  woman  who  thought  she  could  take 
the  sulphur  vapor -bath  at  home  in  her  own 
bath-room  finds  that  her  experience  reads  like 
a  chapter  from  the  Dan  bury  News  man.  A 
bouquet  of  burning  matches  •  would  furnish 
the  perfume  inhaled  in  the  process,  and  the 
vapor  reaching  her  face,  left  it  pale  and 
brown  in  spots,  as  if  she  had  moth  patches. 
That  she  escaped  with  hair  only  partially 
tinged,  and  any  eyebrows  to  speak  of,  is  due 
to  Nature's  guardian  care,  which  prompted  the 
struggle  for  life  half  a  minute  sooner  than 
pride  was  inclined  to  give  up.  The  fumes 
lingering  about  the  premises  have  induced  the 
gravest  suspicions  on  the  part  of  her  neigh- 


200  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

bors.  She  is  inclined  to  think  that,  if  her  face 
would  only  turn  brown  again  ail  over,  she 
would  forego  her  dreams  of  Parian  brow  and 
cheeks  like  peaches. 

A  sulphur  vapor-bath  is  a  matter  of  caution, 
when  given  by  the  best  of  hands.  It  is  not 
well  to  take  it  in  the  dam}),  " -breaking-lip" 
weather  of  March,  for  the  bath  opens  the 
pores,  and  catching  cold  with  several  grains 
of  sulphur  in  one's  body  is  the  next  thing  to 
salivation  by  mercury.  The  consequence  is 
that  one  feels  heavy  and  aching,  the  eyes 
grow  weak,  and  teeth  grumble,  while  latent 
rheumatic  pains  wake  up  to  sharp  reminder 
of  one's  imprudence.  When  the  weather  is 
warm  and  settled,  these  baths  are  a  luxury 
and  medicine  combined.  They  are  most  ef- 
fectual purifiers  of  the  system,  searching  out 
and  removing  a]l  ^vaste  particles,  to  leave  the 
skin  as  new  and  fair  as  a  baby's.  I  have  seen 
old  and  darkened  complexions  restored  by 
them  in  a  way  that  was  little  short  of  mi- 
raculous. These  baths  are  also  of  benefit  in 


PUBLIC   BATHS.  201 

neuralgia,  and  deal  powerfully  with  scrofulous 
affections. 

The  time  is  not  far  distant  when  every  town 
that  owns  a  public  hall  will  also  have  its  pub- 
lic baths.  Before  that  time  comes,  physicians 
ought  to  moderate  the  charges  for  these  rem- 
edial agents.  Outside  of  our  large  cities,  the 
cost  of  taking  sulphur  vapor-baths  is  $5  each, 
and  they  are  given  only  in  series,  as  pre- 
scribed by  the  judgment  or  humor  of  the 
physician.  When  will  people  learn  the  .laws 
and  habits  of  their  own  bodies,  so  that  they 
need  not  be  at  the  mercy  of  every  specialist 
who  chooses  to  make  money  out  of  their  emer- 
gencies ?  For  the  benefit  of  outsiders  it  ought 
to  be  said  that  the  charge  in  the  best  establish- 
ments of  New  York  is  not  higher  than  $2  50 
for  the  single  bath,  and  a  great  reduction  from 
this  is  common. 

The  essential  difficulty  of  the  sulphur-vapor 
treatment  is  to  keep  from  the  face  the  powerful 
fumes,  which  are  dangerous  to  breathe.  For 
this  object  the  bather  enters  a  wooden  box, 


202  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

with  a  cover  that  fits  the  neck.  She  takes  a 
seat  in  the  box  undressed,  and  the  cover  is 
adjusted  so  that  only  the  head  is  left  out. 
Cloths  or  a  rubber  collar  are  closely  drawn 
about  the  neck  to  prevent  the  least  escape  of 
gas,  and  a  wet  sponge  is  laid  on  the  top  of 
the  head,  or,  what  is  better,  a  very  wet  towel 
folded  turban  wise  round  the  back  of  it,  and 
over  the  top,  thus  cooling  the  base  of  the 
brain,  the  side  arteries,  and  sensitive  upper 
part.  This  compress  must  be  frequently  wet 
with  cold  water  during  the  bath — a  precaution 
which  removes  the  danger  of  apoplectic  seiz- 
ures by  the  intense  heating  of  the  blood. 
Steam  charged  with  sulphur  is  then  let  into 
the  box  by  pipes,  and  in  three  minutes  the 
perspiration  flows  as  if  the  luckless  victim 
were  melting  away.  In  the  best  establish- 
ments an  attendant  fans  the  bather  all  the 
time  the  steam  is  let  on,  to  cool  the  head, 
into  which  the  heated  blood  rushes  in  a  way 
that  makes  the  wet  towel  smoke  directly. 
And  this  is  an  attention  the  patient  must 


BENEFITS  OF  HOT  BATHS.        203 

insist  upon,  for  faintness  or  apoplexy  may  be 
the  alternative. 

In  the  sultry  and  oppressive  weather  of 
summer  the  hot  bath  is  of  all  others  most 
cooling.  No  matter  how  heated  the  system, 
water  as  hot  as  possible  is  the  safest  and  most 
efficient  relief.  One  wants  to  remain  in  it 
long  enough  to  give  every  part  of  the  body  a 
thorough  scrubbing  with  soap  and  a  mohair 
wash-cloth,  which  cleanses  the  skin  more  thor- 
oughly than  a  brush.  The  hot  water  dis- 
solves every  particle  of  matter  that  clogs  the 
pores,  the  rough  cloth  and  soap  remove  it 
searchingly,  and  the  towel  is  hardly  laid  aside 
before  a  delicious  coolness  and  freshness  passes 
upon  one,  like  that  of  a  dewy  summer  morn- 
ing. The  dangers  resulting  from  a  sudden 
check  of  perspiration  by  plunging  into  cold 
water  when  overheated,  or  by  sitting  in  a 
draught  to  cool,  are  avoided,  and  a  greater 
sense  of  coolness  follows.  People  who  suffer 
much  in  warm  weather  should  reckon  this  a 

daily  solace.    All  enervating  effects  are  warded 
14 


204  THE    UGLY  -  GIKL    PAPERS. 

off  by  an  instant's  plunge  into  cool  water  of, 
say,  seventy  degrees.  I  say  cool,  for  it  certain- 
ly will  feel  as  if  iced  after  a  bath  of  nearly 
a  hundred  and  fifty  degrees.  In  a  common 
bath-room,  by  this  means,  one  may  experience 
much  of  the  real  benefit  of  a  Russian  vapor- 
bath. 

The  bath  lasts  fifteen  minutes,  when  the 
vapor  is  turned  off.  When  the  steam  in  the 
box  has  had  time  to  condense,  the  cover  is  un- 
jointed,  and  the  bather  treated  to  a  scrubbing 
with  soap  and  warm  water,  which  gradually 
cools  and  cleanses  the  body.  Then  cooler  wa- 
ter is  poured  over  the  body,  and,  after  wiping, 
one  is  wrapped  in  a  fresh  sheet  and  lies  down 
to  pleasant  dreams. 

It  is  hard  that  such  a  necessary  requisite 
to  the  highest  vigor  should  rank,  as  it  does, 
among  luxuries.  One  can  hardly  imagine  an 
addition  to  a  fine  house  more  desirable  than 
a  bathing-hall,  such  as  Roman  patricians  add- 
ed to  their  palaces,  where  any  form  of  vapor 
or  hot  bath  was  at  command. 


IMPROVEMENTS  IN  PUBLIC  BATHS.    205 

Many  improvements  are  needed  in  our  pub- 
lic baths.  There  should  be  small  dressing- 
closets,  as  there  are  at  swimming-baths,  where 
one's  clothes  may  be  kept  from  contact  with 
beds  on  which  a  thousand  people  rest  in  the 
course  of  a  year.  The  reposing-hall  should  be 
well  lighted,  and  paved  with  tiles,  instead  of 
being  spread  with  bits  of  carpet  to  be  tossed 
about ;  and  there  should  be  ample  space  be 
hveen  the  couches.  Every  thing  should  con- 
vey the  impression  of  space  and  repose  —  of 
sunshine,  for  the  sake  of  its  reviving  power, 
and  of  refinement,  for  the  soothing  it  always 
brings  the  nerves. 

Usually  the  bath-house  is  built  in  a  court- 
yard, where  high  walls  on  eveiy  side  shut  out 
the  sunlight.  The  basement  dressing-room  is 
tilled  with  narrow  couches  covered  with  light 
rubber  sheets,  suggestive  of  nothing  more  pleas- 
ant than  cast-off  clothing,  and  rest  measured 
by  the  bath  clock,  when  one's  pillow  must  be 
*i ven  up  to  a  newT-comer. 

From  this  huddled  room  the  bather  steps 


206  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

into  one  beyond  summer  heat,  dark  and  drip- 
ping with  moisture,  with  a  plunge  bath  in 
the  centre.  Passing  through  it,  one  finds 
next  what  seems  like  a  wide  marble  staircase 
running  the  length  of  each  side  almost  to 
the  low  roof,  with  gratings  let  in  the  face  of 
the  steps.  The  bather  ascends  one  of  these 
stony  couches,  and  lies  down  with  head  on  the 
stony  pillow  carved  every  six  feet  or  so  for 
the  purpose.  Wrapped  in  a  sheet,  already  wet 
with  moisture  since  leaving  the  dressing-room, 
a  large  sponge  dipped  in  cold  water  at  the 
back  of  one's  head,  and  another  at  the  month 
and  nose,  one  feels  as  if  there  were  perspira- 
tion enough  already  for  sanitary  purposes; 
but  when,  with  a  hiss  and  a  roar,  the  steam  is 
let  on  through  the  gratings,  one  finds  the  dif 
ference.  Eolling  vapor  fills  the  room,  so  dense 
that  every  outline  is  shut  out  as  completely  as 
in  the  darkest  night.  The  heat  rises  to  suffoca- 
tion, the  new  bather  thinks,  and  rushes  again 
and  again  to  the  douche  against  the  wall  to 
wet  her  throbbing  head,  or  into  the  next  room, 


AFTER    THE   BATH.  207 

which  seems  cool  as  a  waterfall,  for  a  gasp  of 
air  that  she  can  breathe.  Old  and  experienced 
bathers  lie  still,  declaring  that,  with  head  down 
and  the  wet  sponge  pressed  to  the  nose,  they 
breathe  without  difficulty.  What  was  perspi- 
ration is  literally  a  flowing  away  in  rills  and 
sheets  of  water  that  drip  from  the  bather's 
reeking  sides.  One  seems  to  have  turned  to 
jelly,  and  submits  helplessly  to  the  scrubbing- 
brush  and  final  shower-bath  of  water  at  eighty 
degrees,  which  causes  a  shiver  by  contrast. 

The  outer  room  is  refreshing  in  its  coolness, 
and  one  wraps  a  dry  sheet  and  blanket  round 
one  and  lies  down  on  the  India-rubber  cloth 
in  dreamy  indifference  to  all  the  rest  of  the 
world. 

What  follows  is  Elysium.  Every  ache  and 
pain,  every  care,  is  dispelled  in  a  trance  of  rest. 

All  the  descriptions  by  Eastern  travelers 
of  the  luxury  of  the  bath  are  found  true  in 
this  last  stage  of  enjoyment.  One  is  rejuve- 
nated, entranced,  and  sinks  into  a  light  sleep, 
whose  approach  seems  a  prelude  to  paradise. 


208        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

The  eyes  close  to  keep  out  the  sordid  sur- 
roundings of  the  bathing -room  ;  and  every 
idea,  or  rather  sensation — for  the  brain  is  too 
passive  to  think — is  bliss.  This  is  the  dolce 
far  niente  Italians  aspire  to — the  sum  of  all 
delight  possible  to  sensation.  Passion  and 
rapture  have  no  charms  that  equal  it.  It  is 
the  death  and  extinction  of  all  pain.  Quite 
as  beautiful  is  the  return  to  consciousness, 
%ense  after  sense  regaining  double  brightness 
as  softly  and  steadily  as  the  unfolding  of  a 
flower. 

After  a  reluctant  waking  and  going  out  into 
the  sunlight  again  one  seems  to  have  found  a 
new  self.  The  feather-like  lightness  and  elas- 
ticity of  every  limb  amount  almost  to  delirium, 
they  are  so  different  from  one's  usual  dullness. 
It  is  freedom  that  feels  like  flying.  If  this  is 
simply  health,  in  our  common  state  we  must 
be  farther  toward  extinction  than  we  imagine. 

In  this  state  of  purity  and  light  one  learns 
to  reverence  one's  physical  self.  A  body  that 
at  its  best  is  so  glorious  and  happy  ought  not 


MORAL  EFFECTS  OF  THE  BATH.      209 

to  be  exposed  to  the  disturbance  of  appetite 
and  the  contact  of  gross  things.  We  need  to 
be  very  much  more  refined  in  our  living,  eat- 
ing, and  breathing.  We  ought  to  be  nicer 
about  our  clothes  and  our  food,  choosing  the 
best  of  meats,  and  fruit  far  better  than  we  are 
now  content  with,  and  should  place  our  dwell- 
ings out  of  the  reach  of  the  least  impure  air.  In 
this  altered  and  steadied  frame  evil  dispositions 
lose  their  sway.  Irritable  temper  is  soothed, 
despondency  flees  as  by  magic,  and  fiercer  pas- 
sions lie  asleep  as  at  the  stroking  of  their 
manes.  If  any  one  should  read  this  page  who 
battles  with  unnatural  desires,  which  make  life 
less  blessed  and  lofty  than  it  was  meant  to  Be, 
let  her  have  recourse  to  this  efficient  ally.  It 
will  restore  one  from  the  horrible  depression 
which  craves  alcohol  or  opium,  it  will  res- 
cue from  the  perilous  excitement  of  over- 
wrought nerves  or  too  much  brain-work,  and 
banish  those  morbid  feelings  which  consciously 
or  unconsciously  incline  to  impurity  of  im- 
agination if  not  of  life.  The  purity  of  the 


210  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

body  and  the  soul  are  too  closely  interwoven 
for  any  one  to  dare  neglect  them. 

In  the  old  time,  saints  used  to  subdue  the 
body  by  prayer  and  fasting.  The  modern 
way  is  by  prayer  and  bathing. 

It  is  hard  enough  to  keep  a  peaceable, 
firm,  and  sweet  habit  of  soul  without  letting 
loose  on  it  the  humors  and  insanities  of  the 
body.  These  are  in  no  way  so  surely  quelled 
as  by  warm  baths,  and  this  is  why  they  ought 
to  be  among  the  public  buildings  of  every 
village,  and  made  as  cheap  as  possible.  There 
the  drunkard  might  find  a  stimulus  which 
has  no  reaction,  the  emotionally  insane  a  seda- 
tive that  would  clear  his  brain  and  steady  his 
nerves.  There  the  exhausted  watcher  by  the 
sick  might  recruit,  and  the  overwrought  stu- 
dent, lawyer,  or  physician  find  support  without 
recourse  to  perilous  stimulants.  The  doors  of 
such  a  place  in  a  large  city  should  stand  open 
night  and  day,  like  those  of  churches. 

Women  need  the  bath  for  all  these  purposes 
even  more  than  men.  The  feeble  mother 


BATHS    FOR   WOMEN.  211 

will  find  no  soothing  for  her  jarred  nerves  or 
lightener  of  her  burdens  like  the  well-applied 
bath.  Strange  as  it  sounds,  the  vapor-bath 
does  not  weaken.  It  washes  away  the  worse 
particles  of  the  body  that  weigh  it  down,  and 
leaves  it  as  if  winged.  I  have  known  an  in- 
valid of  years  take  it  twice  and  thrice  a  week, 
gaining  strength  every  time.  If  harm  came,  it 
is  because  the  head  was  not  kept  cool  by  fan- 
ning, or  because  the  final  sponging  was  not 
gradual  enough.  There  is  harm  in  every 
remedy  used  unskillfully.  It  is  the  doctor's 
province  to  direct  in  such  matters,  always  pre- 
mising that  the  best  and  wisest  physicians  pre- 
fer to  teach  their  clients  the  rules  of  health 
and  treatment  for  themselves,  and  seldom  re- 
fuse to  give  the  reason  and  theory  of  their 
orders.  It  is  safe  to  be  shy  of  the  perceptions 
and  methods  of  a  doctor  who  doesn't  like  to 
tell  what  medicines  he  gives,  and  why  he  gives 
them.  The  keenest  and  best  medical  men  are 
impatient  to  have  others  see  and  understand 
the  truth  as  well  as  themselves. 


212        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 


CHAPTEE  XXL 

Devices  of  Uneasy  Age.  —  Bread  Paste  and  Court-plaster 
to  Conceal  Wrinkles. — Accepting  the  Situation.  —  Plain 
Women  and  Agreeable  Toilets.  —  Examples.  —  The  Rec- 
tor's  Daughter. — Dressing  on  Two  Hundred  a  Year. — 
Ecru  Linen  and  White  Xansook. — A  Senator's  Wife. — 
A  Washington  Success. — Dull,  Thin  Faces. — Hay-colored 
Hair. — Advantages  of  Lining  Rooms  with  Mirrors. 

DID  you  ever  go  to  see  a  lady,  not  of  un- 
certain but  of  uneasy  age,  and  find  yourself 
ushered  into  the  family  sitting-room  by  a  new 
servant,  who  did  not  know  the  ways  of  the 
house  ?  Did  you  find  her  with  a  court-plaster 
lozenge  an  inch  wide  between  her  eyes,  and 
one  at  the  outer  ends  of  her  eyebrows?  At 
sight  of  this  remarkable  ornament,  did  con- 
cern express  itself  lest  she  had  fallen  down 
stairs,  or  had  a  difference  with  the  cat?  Were 
these  insinuations  parried  with  veteran  re- 
sources, and  were  you  dissuaded  from  further 


AVERTING    WRINKLES.  213 

1  inquiry  by  the  delicate  remark  that  she  could 
interest  you  better  than  by  giving  the  history 
of  her  scratches  ?  Of  course  you  knew  there 
was  a  mystery  about  those  bits  of  court-plaster, 
and  perhap^  xeel  so  to  this  day,  unless  Nature 
have  given  you  tho  mind  of  a  detective.  If 
so,  your  patience  is  to  be  rewarded.  The 
secret  of  those  patches  was  not  scratches,  but 
wrinkles. 

I  trust  due  tribute  will  be  paid  to  the  inge- 
nuity of  failing  age,  which  has  perfected  this 
device  for  warding  off  its  unwelcome  tokens. 
The  rationale  of  the  plan  is  very  simple.  The 
plaster  contracts  the  skin,  and  prevents  its 
sinking  into  creases  and  lines.  It  also  pro- 
tects and  softens  the  skin.  I  have  heard  of 
one  oldish  lady  who  wears  these  ornamental 
appendages^all  the  time  in  the  house  when  not 
receiving  company,  and  covers  parts  of  her 
face  with  a  dough  made  of  well -mumbled 
bread  to  keep  her  complexion  fair.  The  hero- 
ism of  this  resistance  to  time  must  be  ap- 
plauded, but  it  is  an  open  question  whether 


THE    UGLY -GIRL    TAPERS. 

the  play  is  worth  the  candle.  The  beauty  of 
age  lies  not  in  freshness  like  that  of  sixteen, 
but  in  clear  and  lofty  expression,  in  the  look  of 
experience  and  not  unkindly  shrewdness,  in  the 
finish  of  self-repression,  of  calmness,  trust,  and 
sympathy.  These  things  grow  on  a  face  as  it 
loses  freshness  and  roundness,  just  as  the  sky 
begins  to  show  through  thinning  boughs. 

The  greatest  of  blessings  for  some  people 
would  be  to  learn  to  accept  themselves  and 
their  gifts.  If  they  could  stand  apart  from 
themselves  a  while  to  see  their  becoming 
points,  much  of  their  repining  would  be  drop- 
ped. Every  thing  and  every  body  is  beautiful 
in  its  season.  There  is  a  wholesome  plainness 
that  accords  with  domestic  life  and  natural 
surroundings,  as  the  bark  of  trees  relieves  their 
green.  The  color  of  health,  the  gentleness 
and  sweetness  that  come  of  a  conquered  self, 
are  elements  of  beauty  that  make  any  face 
tolerable.  How  dear  are  the  plain  faces  that 
have  watched  our  childhood,  with  whom  we 
have  grown  up  so  closely  that  feature  and 


LESSONS    IN    DKESS.  215 

form  have  lost  their  significance,  so  that  we 
really  do  not  know  whether  they  are  homely 
or  not,  and  see  only  the  love  or  the  humor 
that  lives  in  their  faces.  In  general,  very 
ugly  people  are  happily  indifferent  to  their 
looks,  and  degrees  of  imperfection  may  al- 
ways be  lessened  by  judicious  use  of  the  arts 
of  dress. 

A  young  and  homely  woman  makes  her- 
self agreeable  by  the  complete  neatness  of 
a  very  simple  toilet.  Let  her  eschew  dresses 
of  two  colors,  or  of  two  shades  even,  though 
the  latter  are  allowable,  if  the  shadings  are 
very  soft.  When  the  complexion  is  dull,  there 
must  be  some  warm  or  lively  tinges  of  color 
in  the  costume,  and  vice  versa.  But  it  is  eas- 
ier to  dress  real  figures  than  to  generalize. 

Cornelia  Jackson  is  the  rector's  daughter, 
and  hasn't  above  $200  a  year  to  spend  on  her 
clothes  and  to  buy  Christmas  presents.  She 
is  a  little  too  plump,  is  brown,  with  some 
warm  color  in  her  cheeks  in  summer,,  and  has 
hair.  Her  face  never  would  be  notice^ 


216  THE    UGLY- GIRL    PAPERS. 

except  for  the  jollity  lurking  in  it,  which  she 
inherits  from  her  father.  In  winter  and  fall, 
•when  she  looks  pale,  she  "tones  up"  with  a 
morning  dress  of  all-wool  stuff,  one  of  those 
brown  grounds  with  small  bunches  of  bril 
liant  crimson  or  purple  flowers — a  cheery  pat- 
tern that  the  rector  likes  behind  the  coffee 
urn  of  a  cold  morning  —  with  crisp  white 
ruffles,  set  off  by  the  brown  dress.  Crimson 
01*  purple,  in  soft  brilliant  shades,  are  her 
colors  for  neck -ties.  Her  street  dress  is  a 
dark  walnut-brown  (doth,  trimmed  with  cros& 
cut  velvet  the  same  shade.  The  over-skirts  of 
Cornelia's  dresses  are  always  long,  so  that  she 
will  not  look  like  a  fishing-bob  or  a  doll  pin- 
cushion ;  and  there  is  deep  rose -color  about 
her  bonnet.  Xot  roses,  by-the-way — she  has 
an  unspoken  feeling  that  it  is  not  for  every 
body  to  wear  roses — but  velvety  mallows  and 
double  stocks,  imitations  of  fragrant  common 
garden  flowers  that  are  very  like  herself.  The 
brown  and  crimson  maiden  is  a  pleasant  sight 
of  a  whitei's  day,  when  the  gray  of  the  church 


TOILETS   FOR   THE    SEASONS.  217 

and  white  of  the  snow  need  something  warm 
to  come  between  them.  In  summer  she  chooses, 
or  her  cousin  in  New  York  chooses  for  her,  not 
the  light  percales  that  every  one  else  is  wear- 
ing, nor  the  grays  and  stone-colors  that  walk  to 
church  every  Sunday,  but  ecru  linens,  with  re- 
lief of  black  or  brown  for  morning,  when  she 
goes  from  pantry  to  garden,  and  from  sewing- 
machine  to  nursery.  Afternoons  she  doesn't 
divide  herself  by  putting  on  a  white  blouse 
and  colored  skirt,  or  a  buff  redingote  over  a 
black  train,  but  wears  a  dress  of  one  color, 
that  looks  as  if  it  were  meant  to  stay  at  home. 
White  nansook  is  her  delight,  its  semi-train 
parency  wonderfully  suiting  her  clear  brown- 
ness,  but  solid  white  linen  or  cambric  she  es- 
chews. Soft  violet  jaconet,  am?  the  whole 
family  of  lilacs,  are  made  for  her ;  and  she  is 
luxurious  in  ruffles  and  flounces  on  her  demi- 
trained  skirts,  since  she  makes  and  often  irons 
them  herself.  Black  grenadine,  of  course,  she 
wears,  with  high  lining  to  give  her  waist  its 
full  length,  every  bit  of  which  it  needs;  and 


218  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

she  is  not  too  utilitarian  to  neglect  the  aid 
which  a  modest  demi-train  on  a  house  dress 
gives  to  her  height.  All  the  other  girls  may 
wear  puffed  waists  and  pleated  waists.  She 
knows  they  are  not  for  her  plump  shoulders, 
though  clusters  of  fine  tucks  on  a  blouse  give 
length  to  the  waist,  and  lessen  the  width  of 
the  back.  Shawls  she  never  wears,  nor  short 
perky  basques,  that  are  considered  —  I  don't 
know  why  —  the  proper  thing  for  stout  fig- 
ures. Her  choice  is  the  long  polonaise,  and 
the  French  jacket,  which  by  its  short  shoulders 
and  simple  lines  conveys  a  decent  comeliness 
of  figure  to  any  one  who  wears  it.  If  she  had 
a  party  dress,  it  would  be  white  muslin,  or 
light  silvery  green  silk,  trimmed  with  pleat- 
ings  of  tulle,  and  with  them  she  would  wear 
her  mother's  pearls,  or  her  own  fine  carbuncles. 
Mrs.  Senator,  with  all  her  fortune  and  posi- 
tion, is  doomed  to  hear  people  speak  of  her  in 
under-tones  at  parties,  "  She  is  rich,  but  very 
plain."  Being  a  shrewd  woman,  she  does  not 
waste  her  efforts  on  trying  to  alter  her  thin 


A   KEAL   PICTURE.  219 

features,  nor  does  she  make  herself  ridiculous 
by  a  false  complexion  of  rouge  and  pearl-pow- 
der, though  her  face  and  her  hair  are  about  of 
a  brownness.  But  on  her  entry  into  Washing- 
ton society  she  defied  criticism  by  appearing 
with  her  hair  creped  to  show  its  soft  brown 
lights  and  shades,  and  give  the  best  outline 
to  her  head,  her  gypsy  face  opposed  to  a  dead 
white  silk,  of  Parisian  origin,  with  flounce  of 
pleated  muslin,  and  corsage  trimmings  of  rich 
lace.  It  is  a  real  dress  and  a  real  woman 
that  is  described,  and  it  is  no  fiction  that  she 
was  the  success  of  the  evening.  The  color- 
less dress  without  reflets,  and  her  ornaments 
of  clustered  pearls,  were  in  most  artistic  con- 
trast to  the  nut-brown  hair  and  dusky  face. 
A  spot  of  color  would  have  destroyed  the 
charm.  The  dress  stamped  her,  as  she  was,  a 
woman  of  skill  sufficient  to  draw  from  the 
most  unlikely  combination  the  elements  of 
novel  and  complete  success. 

The  girl  who  sits  near  me  at  the  hotel  table 

tries  my  eyes  with  her  thin,  curious  features, 
15 


220 


THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAP^iiS. 


her  pale,  frizzed  hair,  that  makes  her  face 
more  peaked  than  it  is,  and  her  oversized 
skirts.  She  ought  not  to  wear  those  light 
dresses,  for  she  has  no  color,  and  her  thin 
complexion  is  not  even  clear.  She  has  that 
difficult  figure  to  dispose  of,  which  is  at  once 
girlish  and  tall,  without  seeming  so.  A  trained 
dress  would  make  her  look  lean,  so  she  should 
dispense  with  a  large  tourimre,  and  let  her 
dresses  brush  the  floor  a  few  inches,  wearing 
as  many  small  flounces  below  the  knee  as 
fashion  and  sense  allow.  If  her  mother,  who 
is  rather  a  strict  lady,  would  insist  on  having 
the  girl's  dresses  made  with  puffed  waists,  or 
loose  blouses  of  thick  linen,  instead  of  the 
Victoria  lawns  that  iron  so  flat,  and  show 
the  poor  shoulder-blades  frightfully,  the  effect 
would  be  rather  delightful.  She  ought  to 
wear  puffed  grenadines  and  lenos  of  maroon, 
rosy  lilac,  or  deep  green — the  first  lighted  with 
pale  rosy  bows  at  the  throat  and  in  the  hair, 
the  latter  with  light  green  and  white,  the  lilac 
with  periwinkle  knots.  How  one  would  like 


f 

COIFFURES    FOR    THIN    FACES.  221 

to  dress  her  over  again,  and  turn  the  poor 
thing  out  charming  as  she  ought  to  be.  Her 
hair-dressing  would  all  have  to  be  done  over 
again.  Sharp-featured  people  shouldn't  wear 
curls,  which  make  the  peaked  effect  still  more 
prominent.  Soft  waves,  drawn  lightly  away 
from  the  face  and  brushed  up  from  the  neck 
behind,  would  be  better,  and  smooth  braids 
best  of  all,  with  little  waves  peeping  out  under 
them.  If  the  young  woman  could  train  her- 
self not  to  be  excitable,  or  to  smile  so  over- 
comingly,  and  not  be  so  eager  to  meet  new  ac- 
quaintances, she  would  make  a  pleasing  im- 
pression, while  now  she  gets  snubbed  in  a  tacit 
way,  and  those  who  take  her  up  out  of  pity 
hardly  feel  as  if  they  were  paid  for  it.  If 
women  with  hay-colored  hair  could  be  brought 
to  believe  that  light  brown,  of  all  others,  wasn't 
the  color  for  their  style,  one  could  afford  to 
overlook  minor  deficiencies. 

One  is  tempted  to  think  sometimes  that 
there  is  a  loss  in  not  adopting  the  French  plan 
of  lining  houses  with  mirrors.  If  people  con- 


THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

tinually  caught  sight  of  themselves,  they  would 
hardly  indulge  in  the  grimaces  and  gaucheries 
which  they  inflict  on  the  world.  It  could  hard- 
ly lead  to  vanity  in  most  cases,  and  would  settle 
many  vexing  problems  of  dress  and  demeanor. 
One  is  not  always  to  be  censured  for  studying 
the  glass.  The  orator  must  use  it  to  learn 
how  to  deliver  his  sentences  with  proper 
facial  play  and  easy  gesture.  The  public 
singer  studies  with  a  mirror  on  the  music- 
rack  to  get  the  right  position  of  the  mouth 
for  issuing  the  voice  without  making  a  face. 
The  want  of  such  training  mars  the  work  of 
some  great  artists  with  blemishes  which  nearly 
undo  the  effect  of  their  talents. 

The  injunction  that  all  things  should  be 
done  decently  and  in  order  means  that  they 
ought  to  be  pleasing.  The  study  of  ourselves 
can  hardly  be  complete  without  the  aid  of  the 
mirror,  which  shows  candidly  the  cold  smile, 
the  vacant,  bashful  gaze,  we  give  our  fellow 
beings,  instead  of  the  decent  attention,  the 
kind,  full  glance  it  is  meet  they  should  have 


THE    GOOD   OF   MIRRORS.  223 

from  us,  and  which  we  prefer  to  receive  from 
them.  It  shows  the  frown,  the  sour  melan- 
choly, which  creep  over  the  face  in  reveries, 
and  leads  us  to  try  and  feel  pleasant  that  we 
may  look  so.  How  much  confidence  one  as- 
suring glance  at  a  mirror  has  given  ns  in  going 
to  receive  a  visitor,  and  what  kindly  warning 
of  what  wras  amiss  in  expression  or  toilet  be- 
fore it  was  too  late  !  Is  our  vanity  so  easily 
excited  that  we  are  ready  to  fall  in  love  with 
ourselves  at  sight  ?  The  intimate  acquaintance 
with  our  appearance  which  the  glass  can  give 
is  more  likely  to  make  one  genuinely  humble. 
In  a  world  which  owns  among  its  maxims  the 
gay  and  wicked  refrain  of  "manners  for  us, 
morals  for  those  who  like  them,"  good  people 
can  not  afford  to  neglect  either  their  toilets 
or  their  mirrors. 


224  THE   UGLY-GIEL   PAPERS, 


CHAPTEE  XXII. 

Physical  Education  of  Girls.  —  A  Woman's  Value  in  the 
World. — High-bred  Figures. — Antique  Races. — Inspira- 
tion of  Art  not  Vanity. — The  Trying  Age. — Dress, 
Food,  and  Bathing  for  Young  Girls. — A  Veto  on  Close 
Study. — Braces  and  Backboards. — Never  Talk  of  Girls' 
Feelings. — Exercise  for  the  Arms. — Singing  Scales  with 
Corsets  off. — Development  of  the  Bust. — Open-work  Cor- 
sets the  Best. — The  Bayaderes  of  India  and  their  Forms. 
— The  Delicacy  due  Young  Girls. — A  Frank  but  Needed 
Caution. — Care  of  the  Figure  after  Nursing. 

AMERICAN  girls  begin  to  make  much  of 
physical  culture.  As  they  advance  in  refine- 
ment they  see  how  much  of  their  value  in  so- 
ciety depends  on  the  nerve  and  spirit  which 
accompanies  thorough  development.  It  is  not 
enough  that  they  know  how  to  dance  languid- 
ly, and  carry  themselves  in  company.  To  dis- 
tinguish herself,  a  young  belle  must  row,  swim, 
skate,  ride,  and  even  shoot,  to  say  nothing  of 


THE   BEST   FIGURE.  225 

lessons  in  fencing,  which  noble  ladies  in  Ger- 
many, and  some  of  foreign  family  here,  take 
to  develop  sureness  of  hand  and  agility.  The 
heavy,  flat-footed  creature  who  can  not  walk 
across  a  room  without  betraying  the  bad  terms 
her  joints  are  on  with  each  other,  must  have 
a  splendid  face  and  fortune  to  keep  any  place 
in  the  world,  no  matter  how  good  her  family, 
or  how  varied  her  acquirements,  though  she 
speaks  seven  languages  like  a  native,  and  has 
played  sonatas  since  she  was  eight  years  old. 
A  woman's  value  depends  entirely  on  her  use 
to  the  world  and  to  that  person  who  happens 
to  have  the  most  of  her  society.  A  man  likes 
the  society  of.  a  woman  who  can  walk  a  mile 
or  two  to  see  an  interesting  view,  and  can 
take  long  journeys  without  being  laid  up  by 
them.  He  likes  smooth  motions,  round  arms 
and  throat,  head  held  straight,  and  shoulders 
that  do  not  bow  out.  When  you  see  that  a 
fine  figure  must  be  a  straight  line  from  the 
roots  of  the  hair  to  the  base  of  the  shoulder- 
blade,  you  will  realize  how  few  women  ap- 


226  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

proach  this  high-bred  ideal.  Special  culture, 
indeed,  is  discerned  where  sncli  excellence  of 
line  meets  the  eye.  The  polished  races  of  the 
East,  who,  untutored  and  degraded,  yet  have 
the  entail  of  antique  subtlety  and  art,  inherit 
such  figures  along  with  the  proverbs  of  sages 
and  palace  mosaics.  The  best -born  of  all 
countries  have  this  noble  set  of  head,  this 
lance  -  like  figure,  and  easy  play  of  limb. 
As  surely  as  one  can  be  educated  to  right 
thoughts  and  manners,  so  the  motions  and 
poise  of  limb  can  be  trained  to  correctness. 
The  work  must  begin  early.  A  girl  should 
be  put  in  training  as  soon  as  she  passes  from 
the  plumpness  of  childhood  into  the  ugly 
age  of  development.  The  mother  should  in- 
spect her  dressing  to  see  what  improvement  is 
needed,  and  stimulate  the  child  by  the  desire 
to  possess  beautiful  limbs  and  figure.  The 
senses  are  early  awake  to  the  sense  of  grace. 
There  is  no  better  way  to  inspire  a  girl  with  it 
than  to  take  her  to  picture-galleries,  show  the 
faces  of  historical  beauties,  or  the  figures  of 


GROWING   GIRLS.  227 

Italian  sculpture,  and  ask  her  if  she  would 
not  like  to  have  the  same  fine  points  herself. 
This  substitutes  the  love  of  art  for  that  of  ad- 
miration, and  makes  self-cultivation  too  deep 
a  tiling  for  vanity. 

There  is  a  time  when  girls  are  awkward, 
indolent,  and  capricious.  Their  boisterous 
spirits  at  one  time,  their  sickly  minauderies  at 
another,  are  very  trying  to  mothers  and  teach- 
ers. The  cause  is  often  set  down  as  depravity, 
when  it  is  only  nature.  Girls  are  lapsided 
and  indolent  because  they  are  weak  or  lan- 
guid, between  which  and  being  lazy  there  is 
a  vast  difference.  They  have  demanding  ap- 
petites that  strike  grown  people  with  wonder. 
They  go  frantic  on  short  notice  when  their 
wishes  are  crossed.  Mother,  if  such  is  the 
case,  your  growing  girl  is  weak.  The  nursery 
bath  Saturday  night  is  not  enough.  Encour- 
age her  to  take  a  sponge-bath  every  day. 
When  she  comes  in  heated  from  a  long  walk 
or  play,  see  that  she  bathes  her  knees,  elbows, 
and  feet  in  cold  water,  to  prevent  her  growing 


^  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

nervous  with  fatigue  when  the  excitement  is 
over.  See  that  she  does  not  suffer  from  cold, 
and  that  she  is  not  too  warmly  dressed,  re- 
membering a  plump,  active  child  will  suffer 
with  heat  under  the  clothes  it  takes  to  keep 
you  comfortable.  If  she  is  thin  and  sensitive, 
care  must  be  taken  against  sudden  chills. 
Keep  her  on  very  simple  but  well-flavored 
diet,  with  plenty  of  sour  fruit,  if  she  crave  it, 
for  the  young  have  a  facility  for  growing  bil- 
ious, which  acids  correct.  Sweet-pickles  not 
too  highly  spiced  are  favorites  with  children, 
and  better  than  sweetmeats.  Nuts  and  rai- 
sins are  more  wholesome  than  candies.  New 
cheese  and  cream  are  to  be  preferred  to  butter 
with  bread  and  vegetables.  Soup  and  a  little 
of  the  best  and  juiciest  meat  should  be  given 
at  dinner.  But  the  miscellaneous  stuffing  that 
half -grown  girls  are  allowed  to  indulge  in 
ruins  their  complexion,  temper,  and  digestion. 
Xo  coffee  nor  tea  should  be  taken  by  any  hu- 
man being  till  it  is  full-grown.  The  excite- 
ment of  young  nerves  by  these  drinks  is  ruin- 


PROPORTION    OF    WORK   AND   PLAY.          229 

ous.  Besides,  the  luxury  and  the  stimulus  is 
greater  to  the  adult  when  debarred  from  these 
thin  os  through  childhood.  Neither  mind  nor 

o  o 

body  should  be  worked  till  maturity.     Chil- 
dren will  do   all   they   ought  in   study   and 
work  without  much   urging;   and  they  will 
learn  more  and  remember  more  in  two  hours 
of  study  to  five  of  play,  than  if  the  order  is 
inverted.     Say  to  a  child,  Get  this  lesson  and 
you  may  go  to  play — and  you  will  be  astonish- 
ed to  see  how  rapidly  it  learns;  but  if  one  les- 
son is  to  succeed  another  till  six  dreary  hours 
have  dragged  away,  it  loses  heart,  and  learns 
merely  what  can  not  well  be  helped.     A  girl 
under  eighteen  ought  not  to  practice  at  the 
piano  or  sit  at  a  desk  more  than  three  quar- 
ters of  an  hour  at  a  time.     Then  she  should 
run  out-of-doors  ten  minutes,  or  exercise,  to 
relieve  the  nerves.     An  adult  never  ought  to 
study  or  sit  more  than  an  hour  without  brief 
change    before    passing   to    the   next.      This 
keeps  the  head  clearer,  the  limbs  fresher,  and 
carries  one  through  a  day  with  less  fatigue 


230        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

than  if  one  worked  eight  hours  and  then  rest- 
ed four. 

Thoughtful  teachers  do  not  share  the  preju- 
dice against  braces  and  backboards  for  keep- 
ing the  figure  straight,  especially  when  young. 
It  is  the  instinct  of  barbarous  nations  to  use 
such  aids  in  compelling  erectness  in  their  chil- 
dren. These  appliances  need  not  be  painful 
in  the  least,  but  rather  relieve  tender  muscles 
and  bones.  Languid  girls  should  take  cool 
sitz-baths  to  strengthen  the  muscles  of  the 
back  and  hips,  which  are  more  than  ordinari- 
ly susceptible  of  fatigue  when  childhood  is 
over.  But  never  talk  of  a  girl's  feelings  in 
mind  or  body  before  her,  or  suffer  her  to 
dwell  on  them.  The  effect  is  bad  physically 
and  mentally.  See  that  these  injunctions  are 
obeyed  implicitly  ;  spare  her  the  whys  and 
wherefores.  It  is  enough  for  her  to  know 
that  she  will  feel  better  for  them.  Of  all 
things,  deliver  us  from  valetudinarians  of  fif- 
teen. Xever  laugh  at  them;  never  sneer; 
never  indulge  them  in  self-condolings.  Be 


FORMING    THE    LIMBS. 


231 


pitiful  and  sympathetic,  but  steadily  turn  their 
attention  to  something  interesting  outside  of 
themselves. 

Special  means  are  essential  to  special  growth. 
Throwing  quoits  and  sweeping  are  good  exer- 
cises to  develop  the  arms.     There  is  nothing 
like  three  hours  of  house-work  a  day  for  giv- 
ing a  woman  a  good  figure,  and  if  she  sleep 
in  tight  cosmetic  gloves,  she  need  not  fear  that 
her  hands  will  be  spoiled.     The  time  to  form 
the  hands  is  in  youth,  and  with  thimbles  for 
the  finger-tips,  and   close  gloves  lined  with 
cold  cream,  every  mother  might  secure  a  good 
hand  for  her  daughter.     She  should  be  partic- 
ular to  see  that  long-wristed  lisle-thread  gloves 
are  drawn  on  every  time  the  girl  goes  out, 
Veils  she  should  discard,  except  in  cold  and 
windy  weather,  when  they  should  be  drawn 
close  over  the  head.     A  broad-leafed  hat  for 
the  country  is  protection  enough  for  the  sum- 
mer;   the   rest  of  the   year  the   complexion 
needs  all  the  sun  it  can  get. 

There  is  commonly  a  want  of  fullness  in 


232  THE    UGLY -GIRL    TAPERS. 

those  muscles  of  the  shoulder  which  give  its 
graceful  slope.  This  is  developed  by  the 
use  of  the  skipping-rope,  in  swinging  it  over 
the  head,  and  by  battledoor,  which  keeps  the 
arms  extended,  at  the  same  time  using  the 
muscles  of  the  neck  and  shoulders.  Swinging 
by  the  hands  from  a  rope  is  capital,  and  so  is 
swinging  from  a  bar.  These  muscles  are  the 
last  to  receive  exercise  in  common  modes  of 
life,  and  playing  ball,  bean-bags,  or  pillow- 
fights  are  convenient  ways  of  calling  them 
into  action.  Singing  scales  with  corsets  off, 
shoulders  thrown  back,  lungs  deeply  inflated^ 
mouth  wide  open,  and  breath  held,  is  the  best 
tuition  for  insuring  that  fullness  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  chest  which  gives  majesty  to  a 
figure  even  when  the  bust  is  meagre.  These 
scales  should  be  practiced  half  an  hour  morn- 
ing and  afternoon,  gaining  two  ends  at  once 
— increase  of  voice  and  perfection  of  figure. 

This  brings  us  to  the  inquiries  made  by 
more  than  one  correspondent  for  some  means 
of  developing  the  bust.  Every  mother  should 


CORSETS   FOR   GIRLS.  233 

pay  attention  to  this  matter  before  her  dangh* 
ters  think  of  such  a  thing  for  themselves,  by 
seeing  that  their  dresses  are  never  in  the  least 
constricted  across  the  chest,  and  that  a  fool- 
ish dressmaker  never  puts  padding  into  their 
waists.  The  horrible  custom  of  wearing  pads 
is  the  ruin  of  natural  figures,  by  heating  and 
pressing  down  the  bosom.  This  most  delicate 
and  sensitive  part  of  a  woman's  form  must  al- 
ways be  kept  cool,  and  well  supported  by  a 
linen  corset.  The  open-worked  ones  are  by 
far  the  best,  and  the  compression,  if  any,  should 
not  be  over  the  heart  and  fixed  ribs,  as  it  gen- 
erally is,  but  just  at  the  waist,  for  not  more 
than  the  width  of  a  broad  waistband.  Six 
inches  of  thick  coutille  over  the  heart  and 
stomach — those  parts  of  the  body  that  have 
most  vital  heat — must  surely  disorder  them  and 
affect  the  bust  as  well.  It  would  be  better  if 
the  coutille  were  over  the  shoulders  or  the  ab- 
domen, and  the  whalebones  of  the  corset  held 
together  by  broad  tapes,  so  that  there  would 
be  less  dressing  over  the  heart,  instead  of 


234:  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

more.  A  low,  deep  bosom,  rather  than  a  bold 
wie,  is  a  sign  of  grace  in  a  full-grown  woman, 
and  a  full  bust  is  hardly  admirable  in  an  un- 
married girl.  Her  figure  should  be  all  curves, 
but  slender,  promising  a  fuller  beauty  when 
maturity  is  reached.  One  is  not  fond  of  over- 
ripe pears. 

Flat  figures  are  best  dissembled  by  puffed 
and  shirred  blouse- waists,  or  by  corsets  with  a 
fine  rattan  run  in  the  top  of  the  bosom  gore, 
which  throws  out  the  fullness  sufficiently  to 
Jook  well  in  a  plain  corsage.  Of  all  things, 
India-rubber  pads  act  most  injuriously  by 
constantly  sweating  the  skin,  and  ruining  the 
bust  beyond  hope  of  restoration.  To  improve 
its  outlines,  wear  a  linen  corset  fitting  so  close 
at  the  end  of  the  top  gores  as  to  support  the 
bosom  well.  For  this  the  corset  must  be  fitted 
to  the  skin,  and  worn  next  the  under-flannel. 
Night  and  morning  wash  the  bust  in  the  cold- 
est water  —  sponging  it  upward,  but  never 
clown.  Madame  Celnart  relates  that  the  bay- 
aderes of  India  cultivate  their  forms  by  wear- 


CAUTION   TO   MOTHERS.  235 

ing  a  cincture  of  linen  under  the  breasts,  and 
at  night  chafing  them  lightly  with  a  piece  of 
linen.  The  breasts  should  never  be  touched 
but  with  the  utmost  delicacy,  as  other  treat- 
ment renders  them  weak  and  flaccid,  and  not 
unfrequently  results  in  cancer.  A  baby's  bite 
has  more  than  once  inflicted  this  disease  upon 
its  mother.  But  one  thing  is  to  be  solemnly 
cautioned,  that  no  human  being — doctor,  nurse, 
nor  the  mother  herself — on  any  pretense,  save 
in  case  of  accident,  be  allowed  to  touch  a  girl's 
figure.  It  would  be  unnecessary  to  say  this, 
were  not  Frencli  and  Irish  nurses,  especially 
old  and  experienced,  ones,  sometimes  in  the 
habit  of  stroking  the  figures  of  young  girls 
committed  to  their  charge,  with  the  idea  of 
developing  them.  This  is  not  mentioned  from 
hearsay.  Mothers  can  not  be  too  careful  how 
they  leave  their  children  with  even  well-mean- 
ing servants.  A  young  girl's  body  is  more 
sensitive  than  any  harp  is  to  the  air  that  plays 
upon  it.  Nature — free,  uneducated,  and  direct 

— responds  to  every  touch  on  that  seat  of  the 
16 


236  THE    UGLY-GIKL    PAPERS. 

nerves,  the  bosom,  by  an  excitement  that  is 
simply  ruinous  to  a  child's  nervous  system. 
This  is  pretty  plain  talking,  but  no  plainer 
than  the  subject  demands.  Girls  are  very  dif- 
ferent in  their  feelings.  Some  affectionate, 
innocent,  hearty  natures  remain  through  their 
lives  as  simple  as  when  they  were  babes  taking 
their  bath  under  their  mothers'  hands;  while 
others,  equally  innocent  but  more  susceptible, 
require  to  be  guarded  and  sheltered  even  from 
the  violence  of  a  caress  as  if  from  contagion 
and  pain. 

Due  attention  to  the  general  health  always 
has  its  effect  in  restoring  the  bust  to  its  round- 
ness. It  is  a  mistake  that  it  is  irremediably 
injured  by  nursing  children.  A  babe  may  be 
taught  not  to  pinch  and  bite  its  mother,  and 
the  exercise  of  a  natural  function  can  injure 
her  in  no  way,  if  proper  care  is  taken  to  sus- 
tain the  system  at  the  same  time.  Cold  com- 
presses of  wet  linen  worn  over  the  breast  are 
very  soothing  and  beneficial,  provided  they  do 
not  strike  a  chill  to  a  weak  chest.  At  the 


RESTORING    THE   FIGUKE.  237 

same  "time,  the  cincture  should  be  carefully 
adjusted.  Weakness  of  any  kind  affects  the 
contour  of  the  figure,  and  it  is  useless  to  try  to 
improve  it  in  any  other  way  than  by  restoring 
the  strength  where  it  is  wanting.  Tepid  sitz- 
baths  strengthen  the  muscles  of  the  hips,  and 
do  away  with  that  dragging  which  injures  the 
firmness  of  the  bosom.  Bathing  in  water  to 
which  ammonia  is  added  strengthens  the  skin, 
but  the  use  of  camphor  to  dry  the  milk  after 
weaning  a  child  is  reprehensible.  JSTo  drying 
or  heating  lotions  of  any  kind  should  ever  be 
applied  except  in  illness.  t 


238  THE    UGLY-GIEL    PAPEES. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Hands  and  Complexions. — Preparing  for  Parties. — Refining 
Rough  Faces. — Carbolic  Baths. — Chalk  and  Cascarilla. 
— Glycerine  Wash. — School -girls'  Flushed  Hands  and 
Faces. — To  Soften  the  Hands. — Red  Noses. — Secrets  of 
Making-np. — Cologne  for  the  Eyes. — Cosmetic  Gloves. — 
To  Impart  a  Brilliant  Complexion. 

PEOPLE  are  in  trouble  in  cold  weather  about 
their  hands  and  their  complexions,  which  take 
the  time  when  parties  abound,  and  owners 
need  their  very  best  looks,  to  put  on  a  ruinous 
air.  It  is  more  than  suspected  that  the  young 
lady  who  begs  for  some  good  face  powder  or 
wash  that  will  hide  a  bad  complexion  without 
spoiling  it  entirely,  has  the  end  in  view  of 
making  herself  presentable  in  society  for  the 
winter.  Her  entirely  reasonable  request  shall 
be  attended  to,  no  less  on  her  own  account 
than  because  she  writes  in  the  name  of  four 
devoted  subscribers.  Carbolic  soaps  fail  to 


PIMPLES   AND   FEVERS.  239 

remove  the  roughness  of  her  used  complexion, 
and  internal  remedies  must  be  resorted  to. 
These  should  be  prescribed  by  a  physician,  and 
would  be  passed  over  at  once  to  his  province 
had  not  long  experience  shown  that  doctors 
scoff  at  the  idea  of  prescribing  for  such  puny 
troubles  as  flesh -worms  and  pimples  while 
there  are  so  many  typhoid  fevers  and  chronic 
ulcers  to  be  treated.  The  pimples  foretold 
the  fever,  and  the  impurities  that  first  showed 
themselves  in  the  shape  of  "black-heads" 
might  have  been  discharged  at  the  time,  and 
not  left  to  malignant  issues.  Pimples  are  dis- 
ease of  a  light  form,  and  nature  tries  to  throw 
off  in  this  way  bad  blood  that  might  give  one 
a  worse  turn  if  kept  in  the  body.  It  can  not 
be  said  too  often  that  next  to  keeping  murder 
and  wickedness  out  of  one's  soul  is  the  neces- 
sity of  keeping  one's  blood  pure  by  good  food, 
strict  cleanliness,  warmth,  and  bright,  sweet 
air.  These  troublesome  pimples  are  a  sign 
that  the  young  ladies  who  complain  of  them 
have  eaten  food  that  did  not  suit  them,  eaten 


240  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

irregularly,  or  not  bathed  often  enough,  since 
some  skins  require  more  frequent  cleansing 
and  stimulus  than  others,  because  they  secrete 
more.  Perhaps  other  functions  are  disturbed, 
or  the  blood  is  not  stirred  enough  by  lively 
exercise.  Directions  for  diet  have  been  given 
before  in  these  pages.  It  will  be  enough  to 
recommend  people  with  irritable  blood  to 
drink  a  glass  or  two  of  mild  cider,  or  eat  or- 
anges or  lemons,  as  they  fancy,  within  the  half 
hour  before  each  meal,  especially  before  break- 
fast. As  hard  work  or  exercise  as  one  can  en- 
dure stirs  sluggish  secretions,  and  work  should 
always  be  brisk.  Many  a  young  woman  mopes 
over  house -work  day  after  day,  standing  on 
her  feet  most  of  the  time,  and  fancies  that 
she  has  exercise,  when  her  slow  blood  does 
not  once  in  ten  hours  receive  impulse  enough 
to  send  it  vigorously  from  head  to  foot  in  a 
way  one  could  call  living.  "Work  swiftly 
and  rest  well,"  ought  to  be  a  woman's  rule. 
When  the  blood  flows  swiftly,  the  eye  is  clear, 
the  sight  better,  the  skin  refined,  and  the 


CARBOLIC   BATHS. 


24:1 


whole  body  feels  improvement ;  memory  and 
thought  are  improved,  idleness  takes  wing, 
and  happiness  steals  into  the  heart. 

Young   ladies    should    not    give    up    their 
bathing  with  carbolic  soap.     Hot  water,  with 
a  spoonful  of  prophylactic  fluid  or  phenyl  to 
each  quart,  is  a  very  wholesome  bath  in  skin 
disorders,  followed  by  a  brisk  rub  with  crash 
till  warm,  or  wrapping  in  a  blanket  by  the 
lire  till  all  danger  of  chilliness  is  past.     The 
phenyl    and    prophylactic    fluid    are    milder 
forms  of  carbolic  acid,  and,  like  it,  disinfect- 
ant and  healing.     A  sponge  bath  or  plunge  at 
seventy-five  degrees  after  a  hot  bath  prevents 
all  weakening  effects  and  taking  cold.     None 
but  robust  persons  should  ever  take  baths  ex- 
cept in  a  warm  room.     The  bath-room  should 
always  be  so  arranged  as  to  be  heated  in  a 
few   minutes.      Otherwise    the   bath   is   best 
taken  in  one's  own  room  before  the  fire. 

The  disguise  for  a  bad  skin  is  easily  found. 
Refined  chalk  is  the  safest  thing  to  use,  and 
costs  far  less  by  its  own  name  than  put  up  in 


242  THE    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

photograph  boxes  as  "  Lily  White,"  etc-  Cas* 
carilla  powder,  which  the  Cuban  ladies  use  so 
.  much,  is  recommended  as  entirely  harmless. 
It  is  prepared  from  a  root  used  in  medicine, 
and  in  New  York  is  sold  at  all  the  little  Cuban 
shops,  with  cigars,  tropic  sweetmeats,  and  other 
necessaries  of  life.  Either  wash  the  face  with 
thick  suds  from  glycerine  soap,  and  dust  the 
powder  on  with  a  swan's-down  puff,  remov- 
ing superfluous  traces  with  a  fresh  puff  kept 
for  the  purpose,  or  else  grind  the  powder  in 
wet  linen  by  pressing  it  in  the  fingers,  and 
apply  wrhat  oozes  through  to  the  skin.  A  fine 
wash  for  a  rough  or  sunburned  skin  is  made 
of  two  ounces  of  distilled  water,  one  ounce  of 
glycerine,  one  ounce  of  alcohol,  and  half  an 
ounce  of  tincture  of  benzoin.  Without  the 
water,  and  with  the  addition  of  two  ounces  of 
prepared  chalk  free  from  bismuth,  it  makes  a 
far  better  cosmetic  for  whitening  the  face  than 
any  of  the  expensive  "  Balms  of  Youth "  or 
"Magnolia  Blooms."  If  a  flesh  tint  is  de> 
sired,  add  a  grain  of  carmine. 


WHITE    HANDS.  24:3 

The  lesser  trial  of  rough,  red  hands  that 
are  not  chapped  but  unsightly,  when  not 
caused  by  exposure  and  work,  indicates  bad 
circulation  of  the  blood.  School-girls  who 
study  a  good  deal  without  due  exercise  often 
go  home  with  flushed  faces  and  red  hands,  to 
say  nothing  of  an  irritable  state  of  the  nerves, 
that  can  only  be  righted  by  very  regular  sleep 
and  exercise,  aided  by  hot  foot-baths.  Out- 
door exercise  in  winter  is  an  excellent  correc- 
tive for  rush  of  blood  to  the  head.  Dancing 
brings  the  blood  into  play  more  healthfully 
than  any  movement  allowed  to  grown  women. 
The  hands  are  improved  by  wearing  gloves 
that  fit  closely,  especially  if  they  are  of  soft 
castor  or  dog-skin.  In  most  cases,  all  that 
is  needed  to  soften  hands  is  to  rub  sweet- 
almond  oil  into  the  skin  two  or  three  days  in 
succession.  A  quicker  way  than  this  in  the 
country  is  to  hold  the  hand -on  a  rapidly  turn- 
ing grindstone  a  moment  or  two.  It  leaves 
the  palm,  forefinger,  and  thumb  satin  smooth, 
and  removes  callosities  incredibly  quick,  tak- 


2M  Tilt:    UGLY -GIRL    PAPERS. 

ing  off  bad  stains  at  the  same  time.  Farm- 
ers' girls  will  take  note  of  this,  and  also  that 
rubbing  the  hands  with  a  slice  of  raw  potato 
will  remove  vegetable  stains.  Rubbing  the 
hands  well  with  almond-oil,  and  plastering 
them  with  as  much  tine  chalk  as  they  can 
take,  on  going  to  bed,  will  usually  whiten  them 
in  three  days'  time,  and  this  hint  may  be  of 
service  before  a  party  of  consequence. 

Redness  of  the  nose  is  a  sign  of  bad  circu- 
lation and  of  humor  in  the  blood.  It  is  best 
treated  by  applications  of  phenyl,  rubbed  on 
often  each  day,  and  by  alteratives.  A  spoon- 
ful of  white  mustard  seed  taken  in  water  be- 
fore breakfast  every  morning  is  of  service  in 
this  case  and  in  rush  of  blood  to  the  head, 
which  always  has  something  to  do  with  con- 
stipation. Refined  chalk  made  into  a  thick 
plaster  with  one  third  as  much  glycerine  as 
water,  and  spread  on  the  parts,  will  cool  ery- 
sipelatous  inflammation  and  reduce  the  red- 
ness. 

The  secrets  of  "making-up"  have  hardly  all- 


MA  KING -UP.  245 

been  mentioned,  though  the  list  is  growing 
long.  What  girl  does  not  know  that  eating 
lump-sugar  wet  with  Cologne  just  before  going 
out  will  make  her  eyes  bright,  or  that  the 
homelier  mode  of  flirting  soap-suds  into  them 
has  the  same  effect?  Spanish  ladies  squeeze 
orange  juice  into  their  eyes  to  make  them 
shine.  A  Continental  recipe  for  whitening  the 
hands  looks  strong  enough :  Take  half  a  pound 
of  soft-soap,  a  gill  of  salad-oil,  an  ounce  of 
mutton  tallow,  and  boil  together;  after  boil- 
ing ceases,  add  one  gill  of  spirits  of  wine  and 
a  scruple  of  ambergris ;  rip  a  pair  of  gloves 
three  sizes  too  large,  spread  them  with  this 
paste,  and  sew  up.  to  be  worn  at  night.  A 
curious  wash,  evidently  Italian  in  its  origin,  is : 
Equal  parts  of  melon,  pumpkin,  gourd,  and 
cucumber  seeds  pounded  to  powder,  softened 
with  cream,  and  thinned  to  a  paste  with  milk, 
perfumed  with  a  grain  of  musk  and  three  drops 
of  oil  of  lemon  (oil  of  jasmine  may  be  substi- 
tuted for  the  musk).  The  face,  bosom,  and  arms 
are  anointed  with  this  overnight,  and  washed 


246         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

off  in  warm  water  in  the  morning.  The  au- 
thority quoted  says  it  adds  remarkable  purity 
and  brilliance  to  the  complexion.  Such  pains 
will  women  take  for  that  beauty  which,  after 
all,  is  only  skin  deep.  But  did  not  De  Stael 
say  she  would  give  half  her  knowledge  for 
personal  charms. 


WOMEN'S  LOOKS  AND  NERVES.         247 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Women's  Looks  and  Nerves.— A  Low-toned  Generation.— 
Children  and  their  Ways.— Brief  Madness.— Women  in 
the  Woods.  — Singing.  — Work  well  done  the  Easiest.— 
eieep  the  Remedy  for  Temper.— Hours  for  Sleep.— The 
Great  Medicines— Sunshine,  Music,  Work,  and  Sleep. 

WOMEN'S  looks  depend  too  much  on  the 
state  of  their  nerves  and  their  peace  of  mind 
to  pass  them  over.  The  body  at  best  is  the 
perfect  expression  of  the  soul.  The  latter 
may  light  wasted  features  to  brilliance,  or 

»/          o 

turn  a  face  of  milk  and  roses  dark  with  pas- 
sion or  dead  with  dullness;  it  may  destroy  a 
healthy  frame  or  support  a  failing  one.  Weak 
nerves  may  prove  too  much  for  the  temper  of 
St.  John,  and  break  down  the  courage  of  Sal- 
adin.  Better  things  are  before  us,  coming 
from  a  fuller  appreciation  of  the  needs  of 
body  and  soul,  but  the  fact  remains  that  this 


248         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

is  a  generation  of  weak  nerves.  It  shows 
particularly  in  the  low  tone  of  spirits  common 
to  men  and  women.  They  can  not  bear  sun- 
shine in  their  houses;  they  find  the  colors  of 
Jacques  Minot  roses  and  of  Gerome's  pictures 
too  deep ;  the  waltz  in  Traviata  is  too  brill- 
iant, Rossini's  music  is  too  sensuous,  and  Wag- 
ner's too  sensational;  Mendelssohn  is  too  light, 
Beethoven  too  cold.  Their  work  is  fuss ;  in- 
stead of  resting,  they  idle — and  there  is  a 
wide  difference  between  the  two  things.  Peo 
pie  who  drink  strong  tea  and  smoke  too  many 
cigars,  read  or  stay  in-doors  too  much,  find 
the  hum  of  creation  too  loud  for  them.  The 
swell  of  the  wind  in  the  pines  makes  them 
gloomy,  the  sweep  of  the  storm  prostrates 
them  with  terror,  the  everlasting  beating  of 
the  surf  and  the  noises  of  the  streets  alike 
weary  their  worthless  nerves.  The  happy 
cries  of  school -children  at  play  are  a  griev- 
ance to  them  ;  indeed,  there  are  people  who 
find  the  chirp  of  the  hearth  cricket  and  the 
singing  tea-kettle  intolerable.  But  it  is  a 


HEALTHY    NOISES.  249 

sign  of  diseased  nerves.  Nature  is  full  of 
noises,  and  only  where  death  reigns  is  there 
silence.  One  wishes  that  the  men  and  women 
who  can't  bear  a  child's  voice,  a  singer's  prac- 
tice, or  the  passing  of  feet  np  and  down  stairs 
might  be  transported  to  silence  like  that  winch 
wraps  the  poles  or  the  spaces  beyond  the  stars, 
till  they  could  learn  to  welcome  sound,  with- 
out which  no  one  lives. 

Children  must  make  noise,  and  a  great  deal 
of  it,  to  be  healthy.  The  shouts,  the  racket, 
the  tumble  and  turmoil  they  make,  are  nat- 
ure's way  of  ventilating  their  bodies,  of  send- 
ing the  breath  full  into  the  very  last  corner  of 
the  lungs,  and  the  blood  and  nervous  fluid  into 
every  cord  and  fibre  of  their  muscles.  Instead 
of  quelling  their  riot,  it  would  be  a  blessing  to 
older  folks  to  join  it  with  them.  There  is  an 
awful  truth  following  this  assertion.  Do  you 
know  that  men  and  women  go  mad  after  the 
natural  stimulus  which  free  air  and  bounding 
exercise  supply  ?  It  is  the  lack  of  this  most 
powerful  inspiration,  which  knows  no  reac- 


250        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

tion,  that  makes  them  drunkards,  gamesters, 
and  flings  them  into  every  dissipation  of  body 
and  soul.  Men  and  women,  especially  those 
leading  studious,  repressed  lives,  often  confess 
to  a  longing  for  some  fierce,  brief  madness 
that  would  unseat  the  incubus  of  their  lives. 
Clergymen,  editors,  writing  women,  and  those 
who  lead  sedentary  lives,  have  said  in  your 
hearing  and  mine  that  something  ailed  them 
they  could  not  understand.  They  felt  as  if 
they  would  like  to  go  on  a  spree,  dance  the 
tarantella,  or  scream  till  they  were  tired.  They 
thought  it  the  moving  of  some  depraved  im- 
pulse not  yet  rooted  out  of  their  natures,  and 
to  subdue  it  cost  them  hours  of  struggle  and 
mortification.  Poor  souls !  They  need  not 
have  visited  themselves  severely  if  they  had 
known  the  truth  that  this  lawless  longing  was 
the  cry  of  idle  nerve  and  muscle,  frantic 
through  disuse.  What  the  clergyman  wanted 
was  to  leave  his  books  and  his  subdued  de- 
meanor for  the  hill -country,  for  the  woods, 
where  he  could  not  only  walk,  but  leap,  run, 


WOMEN    IN    THE   WOODS.  251 

shout,  and  wrestle,  and  sing  at  the  full  strength 
of  his  voice.     The  editor  needed  to  leave  his 
cigar  and  the  midnight  gas-light  for  a  wherry 
race,  or  a  jolly  roll  and  tumble  on  the  green. 
The  woman,  most  of  all,  wanted  a  tent  built 
for  her  on  the  shore,  or  on  the  dry  heights  of 
the  pine  forest,  where  she  would  have  to  take 
sun  by  day  and  balsamic  air  by  night;  where 
she  would  have  to  leap  brooks,  gather  her  own 
fire-wood,  climb  rocks,  and  laugh  at  her  own 
mishaps.     Or,  if  she  were  city-pent,  she  need- 
ed to  take  some  child  to  the  Park  and  play 
ball  with  it,  and  run  as  I  saw  an  elegant  girl 
dressed  in  velvet  and  furs  run  through  Madi- 
son Square  one  winter  day  with  her  little  sis- 
'  ter.     The  nervous,  capricious  woman  must  be 
sent  to  swimming -school,  or  learn  to  throw 
quoits  or  jump  the  rope,  to  wrestle  or  to  sing. 
There  is  nothing  better  for  body  and  mind 
than  learning  to   sing,  with  proper   method, 
under  a  teacher  who  knows  how  to  direct  the 
force  of  the  voice,  to  watch  the  strength,  and 
expand  the  emotions  at  the  same  time.     The 
17 


252  THE    UGLY  -  GIRL   PAPERS. 

health  of  many  AVOID  en  begins  to  improve 
from  the  time  they  study  music.  Why?  Be- 
cause it  furnishes  an  outlet  for  their  feelings, 
and  equally  because  singing  exerts  the  lungs 
and  muscles  of  the  chest  which  lie  inactive. 
The  power  for  the  highest  as  well  as  the 
lowest  note  is  supplied  by  the  bellows  of 
the  lungs,  worked  by  the  mighty  muscles  of 
the  chest  and  sides.  In  this  play  the  red 
blood  goes  to  every  tiny  cell  that  has  been 
white  and  faint  for  want  of  its  food  ;  the 
engorged  brain  and  nervous  centres  where  the 
blood  has  settled,  heating  and  irritating  them, 
are  relieved ;  the  head  feels  bright,  the  hands 
grow  warm,  the  eyes  clear,  and  the  spirits 
lively.  This  is  after  singing  strongly  for  half 
an  hour.  The  same  effect  is  gained  by  any 
other  kind  of  brisk  work  that  sets  the  lungs 
and  muscles  going,  but  as  music  brings  emo- 
tion into  play,  and  is  a  pleasure  or  a  relief  as 
it  is  melancholy  or  gay,  it  is  preferable.  The 
work  that  engages  one's  interest  as  well  as 
strength  is  always  the  best.  Per  contra,  wjiat- 


BLESSING    OF   WOKK.  253 

ever  one  does  thoroughly  and  with  dispatch 
seldom  continues  distasteful.  There  is  more 
than  we  see  at  a  glance  in  the  command, 
"  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it 
with  thy  might."  The  reason  given,  because 
the  time  is  short  for  all  the  culture  and  all  the 
good  work  we  wish  to  accomplish,  is  the  ap- 
parent one ;  but  the  root  of  it  lies  in  the  neces- 
sities of  our  being.  Only  work  done  with  our 
might  will  satisfy  our  energies  and  keep  their 
balance.  Half  the  women  in  the  world  are 
suffering  from  chronic  unrest,  morbid  ambi- 
tions, and  disappointments  that  would  flee  like 
morning  mist  before  an  hour  of  hearty,  tiring 
work. 

It  is  not  so  much  matter  what  the  work 
is,  as  how  it  is  done. 

The  weak  should  take  work  up  by  degrees, 
working  half  an  hour  and  resting,  then  going 
at  it  steadily  again.  It  is  better  to  work  a  lit- 
tle briskly  and  rest  than  to  keep  on  the  slow 
drag  through  the  day.  Learn  not  only  to  do 
things  well,  but  to  do  them  quickly.  It  is 


254:  THE    UGLY-GIKL    PAPERS. 

disgraceful  to  loiter  and  drone  over  one's 
work.  It  is  intolerable  both  in  music  and  in 
life. 

The  body,  like  all  slaves,  has  the  power  to 
react  on  its  task-master.  All  mean  passions 
appear  born  of  diseased  nerves.  Was  there 
ever  a  jealous  woman  who  did  not  have  dys- 
pepsia, or  a  high-tempered  one  without  a  tend- 
ency to  spinal  irritation  ?  Heathen  tempers 
in  young  people  are  a  sign  of  wrong  health, 
and  mothers  should  send  for  physician  as  well 
as  priest  to  exorcise  them.  The  great  remedy 
for  temper  is — sleep.  No  child  that  sleeps 
enough  will  be  fretful ;  and  the  same  thing  is 
nearly  as  true  of  children  of  larger  growth. 
Not  less  than  eight  hours  is  the  measure  of 
sleep  for  a  healthy  woman  under  fifty.  She 
may  be  able  to  get  on  with  less,  and  do  con- 
siderable work,  either  with  mind  or  hands. 
But  she  could  do  so  much  more,  to  better  sat- 
isfaction, by  taking  one  or  two  hours  more 
sleep,  that  she  can  not  afford  to  lose  it.  Wom- 
en who  use  their  brains — teachers,  artists,  writ- 


HOW    TO   WIN    SLEEP.  255 

ers,  and  housewives  (whose  minds  are  as  hard 
wrought  in  overseeing  a  family  as  those  of 
any  one  who  works  with  pen  or  pencil) — need 
all  the  sleep  they  can  get.  From  ten  to  six,^ 
or,  for  those  who  do  not  want  to  lose  theatres 
and  lectures  altogether,  from  eleven  to  seven, 
are  hours  not  to  be  infringed  upon  by  women 
who  want  clear  heads  and  steady  tempers. 
What  they  gain  by  working  at  night  they  are 
sure  to  lose  next  day,  or  the  day  after.  It  is 
impossible  to  put  the  case  too  strongly.  Un- 
less one  has  taken  a  narcotic,  and  sleeps  too 
long,  one  should  never  be  awakened.  The  body 
rouses  itself  when  its  demands  are  satisfied. 
A  warm  bath  on  going  to  bed  is  the  best  aid 
to  sleep.  People  often  feel  drowsy  in  the 
evening  about  eight  or  nine  o'clock,  but  are 
wide  awake  at  eleven.  They  should  heed  the 
warning.  The  system  needs  more  rest  than  it 
gets,  and  is  only  able  to  keep  up  by  drawing 
on  its  reserve  forces.  Wakefulness  beyond 
the  proper  time  is  a  sign  of  ill-health  as  much 
as  want  of  appetite  at  meals — it  is  a  pity  that 


256        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

people  are  not  as  much  alarmed  by  it.  The 
brain  is  a  more  delicate  organ  than  the  stom- 
ach, and  nothing  so  surely  disorders  it  as  want 
of  sleep.  In  trouble  or  sorrow,  light  sedatives 
should  be  employed,  like  red  lavender  or  the 
bromate  of  potassa,  for  the  nerves  have  more 
to  bear,  and  need  all  the  rest  they  can  get. 
The  warm  bath,  I  repeat,  is  better  than  either. 
Sunshine,  music,  work,  and  sleep  are  the 
great  medicines  for  women.  They  need  more 
sleep  than  men,  for  they  are  not  so  strong,  and 
their  nerves  perhaps  are  more  acute.  Work 
is  the  best  cure  for  ennui  and  for  grief.  Let 
them  sing,  whether  of  love,  longing,  or  sorrow, 
pouring  out  their  hearts,  till  the  love  returns 
into  their  own  bosoms,  till  the  longing  has 
spent  its  force,  or  till  the  sorrow  has  lifted 
itself  into  the  sunshine,  and  taken  the  hue  of 
trust,  not  of  despair. 


CAPKICES    IN   HAIR. 


257 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

Changing  Wigs  and  Chignons.— Matching  Braids.—  Friz* 
zing  the  Hair.  —  Crimping -pins.  —  Blonde  Hair-pins.— 
What  Colors  Hair.— Bleaching  Tresses.— Sulphur  Taste. 
— Foxy  Locks. — Freshening  Switches. 

THE  secret  of  content  for  most  women  is 
not  perfection,  but  change.      They  can   not 
even  be  satisfied  with  their  looks  long  at  a 
time ;  but  Mary,  Queen  of  Hearts  as  well  as 
Scots,  must  draw  an  auburn  wig  over  her  lux- 
urious tresses,  dark  and  smelling  of  violets,  for 
which  regal-haired  Elizabeth  would  have  given 
the  ruffs  out  of  her  best  gowns,  and  her  recipe 
for  yellow  starch  with  them.     The  « pretty 
Miss  Vavasour,"  who  changed  her  chignon  ev- 
ery morning  with  her  costume,  was  a  type  of 
the  fickle  beauties  of  the  day,  who  are  always 
better  satisfied  with  some  other  woman's  style 
than  their  own.     Women  of  intelligence  send 


258  THE    UGLY- GIRL   PAPERS. 

urgent  requests  for  something  to  change  the 
color  of  their  hair,  either  to  make  the  front 
locks  match  the  chatelaine  braid,  or  to  bleach 
it  outright.  Fair  blondes,  whose  sunny  locks 
have  been  their  pride,  find  with  dismay  that 
this  infantile  tinge,  which  makes  a  woman  look 
so  young  and  charming,  is  deepening  into  ma- 
ture ash-brown — a  shade  with  no  prestige  or 
attraction  whatever.  In  their  exact  eyes  it  is 
mortifying  to  wear  a  blonde  braid  several  de- 
grees lighter  than  the  crown  tresses.  These 
last  are  growing,  and  constantly  change,  while 
the  ends  keep  their  early  tinge.  Very  few 
light-haired  people  pass  from  youth  to  middle 
age  without  such  a  change.  But,  unless  the 
difference  is  very  startling,  it  may  be  made 
agreeable  by  skillfully  dressing  the  hair. 
Light  or  varied  hair  should  be  crimped  or 
waved,  when  its  tints  will  appear  like  the  play 
of  light  and  shade.  Contrary  to  all  writers  on 
this  point,  I  contend  that  crimping  does  not 
necessarily  injure  the  hair.  If  it  is  killed — 
pulled  out  by  the  roots,  or  broken  by  frizzing 


TRAINING   CURLS.  259 

—the  blame  is  due  to  careless  or  ignorant 
dressing.  My  own  hair  was  dressed  regular- 
ly twice  or  thrice  a  week  with  hot  irons  for 
years,  and  it  never  grew  so  fast  or  was  in  such 
a  satisfactory  state.  It  was  thoroughly  combed 
and  brushed,  kept  clean  by  weekly  washing, 
and  each  time  it  went  under  the  curling-tongs 
it  came  out  moist  and  stimulated  by  the  heat. 
The  reason  was,  the  clever  French  coiffeur 
knew  his  business,  and  never  allowed  the  hot 
iron  to  come  directly  in  contact  with  the  hair. 
Each  lock  was  done  up  in  papillotes,  and  then 
pinched  with  irons  as  hot  as  could  be  without 
scorching.  Stiff  hair  may  be  trained  to  curl 
by  long  and  patient  treatment  with  hot  irons, 
and  be  all  the  better  for  it.  The  secret  of  safe 
hair-dressing  is  never  to  pull  the  hair,  never 
scorch,  and  always  wrap  a  lock  in  paper  be- 
fore applying  the  iron.  Common  round  curl- 
ing-irons  and  frizzing -tongs  may  be  safety 
used  if  thin  Manilla  paper  is  folded  once 
around  them.  So  in  crimping:  the  hair  may 
be  done  up  on  stout  crimping-pins  held  by 


280  THE    UGLY-GIKL    PAPERS. 

slides,  or  braided  in  and  out  of  a  loop  of  thick 
cord,  a  bit  of  thin  paper  folded  over  the  crimp, 
and  the  pinching-iron  used  with  safety  every 
day,  provided  the  hair  is  not  pulled  too  tight 
in  braiding  it.  The  country  method,  where 
friseur's  irons  are  unknown,  is  to  lay  the  head 
on  a  table,  and  set  a  hot  smoothing-iron  on 
the  woven  lock  —  an  awkward  but  efficient 
process.  It  is  not  good  to  put  the  hair  up  on 
metal  pins  or  hair-pins  overnight  for  two  rea- 
sons :  the  perspiration  of  the  head  will  rust 
the  pins,  insensibly,  so  that  they  will  cut  the 
hair ;  and  the  contact  of  iron  with  the  sul- 
phurous gas  given  out  by  hair  during  sleep 
tends  to  darken  and  render  the  color  displeas- 
ing. Rubber  crimping -pins,  fastened  by  a 
rubber  catch,  are  a  late  invention,  and  a  great 
improvement.  But  a  loop  of  thick  elastic 
cord  is  better  than  any  thing.  The  hair  is 
woven  in  and  out  as  on  a  hair-pin,  the  elastic 
holds  it  when  the  fingers  are  withdrawn,  and 
it  is  pleasanter  to  sleep  in  than  half  a  dozen 
stiff  pins.  I  know  more  than  one  piquant  lit- 


BED    INSULATORS. 


261 


tie  lady  whose  "  naturally  "  waving  tresses  are 
the  admiration  of  her  friends  by  this  simple 
means ;  and  as  the  process  has  gone  on  for 
years  without  lessening   the   flow  of  ruffled 
hair,  it  must  be  conceded  that  crimping  does 
not  always  hurt  it.     Iron  hair-pins  hurt  the 
head  more  than  a  generation  of  frisenrs.     The 
latest   accusation   against  them  is   that  they 
draw  off  the  healthy  electricity  of  the  head ; 
and  to  a  generation  which  complains  of  pa- 
ralysis from  using  steel  pens,  and  uses  patent 
glass  insulators  for  the  legs  of  its  bedsteads, 
this  will  seem  no  frivolous  charge.     The  pat- 
ent insulators  are  a  fact.    Their  use  is  advised 
by  medical  men  for  all  neuralgic,  rheumatic, 
and  sleepless  people,  and  one  of  the  largest 
glass  firms  in  New  York  makes  their  manu- 
facture a  specialty.     The  patent  and  perfect 
hair-pin  is  not  yet  invented.    Kubber  pins  are 
clumsy  if  harmless,  but  there  are  gilt  hair-pins 
made  of  a  yellow  composition  metal  which  are 
pleasanter  to  use  than  common  ones,  and  very 
becoming  in  blonde  hair.    Dark-haired  people 


262  THE   UGLY-GIKL   PAPERS. 

must  stick  to  the  rubber  pins,  or  at  least  see 
that  their  black  ones  are  well  japanned,  so  as 
not  to  cut  their  locks. 

Kow,  to  give  an  opinion  about  the  change 
of  hair,  we  must  know  something  of  its  nat- 
ure, and  what  colors  it.  Wise  men  say  that 
light  hair  is  owing  to  an  abundance  of  sulphur 
in  the  system,  and  dark  hair  to  an  excess  of 
iron.  So  if  we  comb  light  or  red  locks  with 
lead  combs  for  a  long  time,  the  lead  acts  on 
the  snip!  in  re  ted  hydrogen  evolved  by  the  hair, 
and  darkens  it.  If  we  can  neutralize  the  iron 
in  any  way,  a  contrary  effect  will  be  obtained. 
To  do  this,  work  at  the  dark  hair  precisely  as 
if  it  were  an  ink-spot  to  be  taken  out.  The 
skin  should  not  suffer,  and  to  prevent  this,  oil 
it  carefully  along  the  parting,  edges,  and  crown 
of  the  head,  wiping  the  oil  from  the  hair  with 
a  soft  cloth.  Oxalic  acid,  strong  and  hot,  is 
the  best  thing  to  take  out  spots  of  ink  made 
with  iron,  and  we  may  try  this  with  the  hair. 
To  apply  this,  or  any  of  the  preparations 
named,  one  should  be  in  undress,  wearing  not 


BLEACHING   HAIR. 


263 


a  single  article  whose  destruction  would  be  of 
account,  for  all  the  acids  and  bleaching  pow- 
ders used  ruin  clothes  if  a  drop  touch  them, 
taking  the  color  out,  and  eating  holes  in  the 
stoutest  fabrics.    The  eyelids  and  brows  should 
be  well  oiled  to  prevent  the  acid  from  attack- 
ing them,  and  the  hands,  shoulders,  and  face 
will  be  the  better  for  similar  protection.     On 
one  ounce  of  pure,  strong  oxalic  acid  pour  OIIQ 
pint  of  boiling  water,  and,  as  soon  as  the  hands 
can  bear  it,  wet  the  head  with  a  sponge,  not 
sapping  it,  but  moistening  thoroughly.     The 
effect  may  be  hastened  by  holding  the  head  in 
strong  sunlight,  or  over  a  register,  or  the  steam 
of  boiling  water.    Five  minutes  ought  to  show 
a  decided  change,  but  if  it  do  not,  wet  again 
and  again,  allowing  the  acid  to  remain  as  long 
as  it  does  not  eat  the  skin.     This  may  not  be 
hard  to  bair,  but  it  will  make  the  hair  fall  out, 
Another  mode  is  to  cover  the  hair  with  a 
paste  of  powdered  sulphur  and  warer,  and  sit 
in  the  sun  with  it  for  several  hours.     'The  Ve- 
netian ladies   used  to  steep  their  tresses  in 


264:  THE    UGLY  "GIRL   PAPERS. 

caustic  solutions,  and  sit  in  their  balconies  in 
the  sun  all  da}7,  bleaching  it ;  and  yet  another 
day,  that  the  same  rays  might  turn  it  yellow. 
Perhaps  they  gained  by  their  folly  in  one  way 
what  they  lost  in  another,  for  such  an  airing 
and  sunning  would  benefit  the  health  of  any 
woman.  A  paste  of  bisulphate  of  magnesia 
and  lime  is  very  effectual  for  bleaching  the 
hair;  but  it  must  be  used  with  great  caution 
not  to  burn  hair,  skin,  and  brains  together. 
The  moment  it  begins  seriously  to  attack  the 
skin  it  should  be  washed  off  in  three  waters, 
with  lemon  juice  or  vinegar  in  the  last  one  to 
neutralize  the  alkali.  These  pastes  are  recom- 
mended to  turn  ash -colored  hair  light.  To 
bleach  dark  hair  is  a  long  and  tedious  process, 
and  such  an  utter  piece  of  foolery  that  I  do 
not  care  to  recount  the  directions  for  it.  The 
desire  to  change  the  color  of  the  hair  can  only 
be  justified  when  it  is  of  a  dull  and  sickly  ap- 
pearance, and  this  is  best  mended  by  improv- 
ing the  general  health.  Hair  can  not  be 
glossy,  rich-colored,  and  thick  unless  the  bod- 


TO    FRESHEN    SWITCHES.  265 

ily  vigor  is  what  it  should  be.  Indeed,  hair  is 
one  of  the  surest  indexes  to  the  state  of  health. 
Scorched  and  foxy  locks  are  a  sign  of  neglect 
and  of  bad  secretions.  Brushing  remedies  the 
first  condition,  hygiene  the  next.  But  among 
the  varieties  of  treatment  specially  appropri- 
ate to  restoration  of  the  hair,  sulphur  vapor- 
baths  must  once  more  be  mentioned.  Doses 
of  sulphur,  taken  in  Dotheboys'  fashion  week- 
ly, with  molasses,  will  be  of  service  in/ keeping 
the  blood  pure,  and  in  time  will  affect  the 
hair;  but  this  powerful  agent  should  not  be 
used  without  advice  of  a  physician,  and  the 
dose  should  be  always  followed  by  simple  pur- 
gatives, like  mustard-seed,  figs,  or  prunes,  eaten 
freely.  Chlorines  and  chlorides  are  specifics 
for  bleaching  hair,  but  they  turn  it  gray  or 
white,  and  the  yellow  tinge  is  dyed  afterward. 
Sulphurous  applications  are  the  safest,  if  com- 
mon caution  is  used  not  to  take  cold  after- 
ward or  to  breathe  any  fumes  from  them. 

Switches  that  have  lost  freshness  may  be 
very  much  improved  by  dipping  them  into 


2G6        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

common  ammonia  without  dilution.  Half  a 
pint  is  enough  for  the  purpose.  The  life  and 
color  of  the  hair  is  revived  as  if  it  were  just 
cut  from  the  head.  This  dipping  should  be  re- 
peated- once  in  three  months,  to  free  the  switch 
from  dust,  as  well  as  to  insure  safety  from 
parasitic  formations.  The  subject  of  color- 
ing the  hair  will  be  spoken  of  in  another 
chapter. 


HARMONIES    OF   HAIR.  267 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Hair  and  Complexion.— Black  Dyes.— Persian  Blue-Black. 
—Peroxide  of  Hydrogen.— Chloride  of  Gold.— Transient 
Dyes. 

IF  it  were  easy  to  change  the  color  of  one's 
hair,  and  possible  to  fix  that  change,  which  it 
is  not,  the  result  in  most  cases  would  be  far 
from  desirable.  Nature  tints  hair  and  com- 
plexion in  harmony  with  each  other,  and 
both  should  be  deepened  if  one  is  altered. 
Human  pictures  as  well  as  canvas  would  oft- 
en be  improved  by  bringing  out  the  colors, 
but  the  free  hand  of  Health,  that  divine  artist, 
is  the  only  one  whose  work  is  tolerable  or  en- 
during. In  health  this  harmony  of  tint  is  va- 
ried and  delicate,  ranging  from  the  rose-and- 
snow  complexions  that  suit  the  true  blonde 
doree,  the  translucent  honeysuckle  -  pink  that 

sets  off  red-brown,  blue-black,  and  olive-brown 
18 


268        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

hair  with  decided  warmth  of  cheeks,  or  pur- 
ple-black reflets  of  the  tresses  with  Spanish 
crimson,  or  rather  the  burning  rose  of  tropic 
blood  seen  through  smooth  skin.  Occasional- 
ly there  comes  an  exciting  discord,  a  minor 
strain  of  color  that  affects  one  like  subtle 
music,  such  as  the  finding  of  dark  eyes  and 
golden  hair,  or  clear,  brilliant  blue  eyes  in  a 
gypsy  face ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  compose 
heads  in  reality  with  any  satisfying  results  as 
yet.  We  have  yet  to  learn  how  to  work  from 
the  inside  out,  which  is  the  only  true  method 
with  human  modeling. 

All  that  can  be  said  on  "this  point,  however, 
will  not  make  the  red-haired  girl  one  whit  less 
ardent  in  her  desire  to  see  her  locks  of  darker 
shade,  that  they  may  be  less  conspicuous,  or 
keep  the  dark-haired  woman  from  the  coveted 
vision  of  bright  locks  and  black  eyes.  It  is 
useless  to  talk  about  the  dangers  of  the  proc- 
ess, or  hint  that  orpiment  and  realgar  are 
deadly  poisons.  If  every  hair  had  to  turn 
into  a  living  snake  while  undergoing  the 


BLACK   HAIR-DYE.  269 

change,  it  would  hardly  daunt  this  courageous 
vanity.  The  best  to  be  hoped  from  any  far- 
ther enlightenment  is  that  they  will  renounce 
these  active  poisons  for  something  compara- 
tively harmless.  Dn  reste,  all  readers  will  be 
interested  in  the  secrets  of  the  toilet,  ai)d  the 
sight  of  science  turned  coiffeur. 

It  is  comparatively  a  simple  matter  to  dye 
hair  black.  Sulphur  is  one  of  the  constituents 
of  hair,  which  exhales  it  constantly  in  the 
form  of  sulphureted  hydrogen,  fortunately  of 
the  weakest  sort,  or  it  would  be  intolerable. 
When  wet  with  a  solution  of  certain  metals, 
the  action  of  this  gas  turns  the  hair  black. 
Lead  combs  owe  their  efficiency  to  this  cause. 
The  lead  which  rubs  on  the  hair  is  darkened 
by  the  gas,  but  the  trace  of  lead  at  each 
combing  is  so  slight  that  the  operation  must 
be  many  times  repeated  before  it  takes  effect. 
But  lead-coloring,  whether  applied  by  combs 
or  by  the  paste  of  litharge,  is  a  slow  poison, 
not  seldom  causing  paralysis,  and  even  death. 
The  absorption  of  lead  into  the  system  at  any 


270         THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

part  is  dangerous,  but  trebly  so  when  applied 
so  closely  to  the  brain.  The  tint  given  by 
this  means,  as  well  as  that  dyed  with  nitrate 
of  silver,  is  unnatural,  greenish,  and  rusty  in 
the  light,  needing  continual  repetition  to  ap- 
pear decent. 

Orientals  are  in  the  habit  of  dyeing  their 
hair  and  beards  the  deep  jetty  black  which 
they  admire,  if  nature  have  not  given  them 
the  desired  depth  of  color.  For  this  purpose 
Turks  and  Egyptians  use  a  thick  solution  of 
native  iron  ore  in  pyrogallic  acid,  which  gives 
the  blackest  and  most  unimpeachable  color.- 
The  Persians  prefer  blue-black,  and  use  indigo 
to  produce  it.  European  hair-dyers  use  a  so- 
lution of  iron,  with  hydrosulphate  of  ammonia 
to  develop  and  fix  the  color,  but  the  odor  is 
objectionable.  Dyes  need  to  be  applied  once 
a  week  to  keep  the  color  vivid,  and  it  is  well 
to  touch  the  partings  twice  as  often  with  a 
fine  comb  dipped  in  the  dye,  as  the  hair  al- 
ways shows  the  natural  color  as  fast  as  it 
grows  from  the  roots. 


BLEACHING    PREPARATIONS.  271 

Red  and  flaxen  hair  is  changed  to  gold 
with  little  trouble,  but  dark  hair  must  be 
bleached  with  chlorine  before  the  desired  tinge 
is  given.  The  bleaching  is  the  most  difficult 
part  of  the  work.  Solutions  sold  for  the  pur- 
pose oi'tenest  consist  of  peroxide  of  hydrogen 
— a  somewhat  costly  liquid,  I  am  told.  Solu- 
tion of  sulphurous  acid  will  also  bleach  hair; 
so  will  solutions  of  bisulphide  of  magnesia 
and  of  lime.  The  hair,  properly  faded  or 
whitened,  is  colored  yellow  witli  solutions  of 
cadmium,  arsenic,  or  gold,  but  the  cause  of 
the  change  is  the  same  that  produces  black 
dye.  The  reaction  of  sulphureted  hydrogen 
on  silver  or  lead  turns  things  black,  but  on 
the  metals  first  named  turns  them  yellow. 
Arsenic  in  the  shape  of  orpiment  or  reaU 
gar,  two  deadly  poisons,  is  the  base  of  most 
golden  hair  dyes,  and  numerous  cases  of  poi- 
soning have  resulted  from  their  use.  Cadmi- 
um is  harmless,  and  yields  quite  as  brilliant 
a  tinge  as  arsenic,  though  less  used.  Chloride 
of  gold  dyes  a  very  satisfactory  brown,  availa- 


272        THE  UGLY -GIRL  PAPERS. 

ble  for  eyebrows,  lashes,  and  whiskers.  It 
must  be  used  with  exceeding  care,  however, 
for  it  stains  the  skin  as  well  as  the  hair.  If 
applied  with  a  fine-tooth  comb  dipped  in  the 
liquid,  combing  the  ends  first,  and  ceasing  just 
before  the  skin  is  reached,  the  dye  will  prob- 
ably "take"  by  means  of  capillary  attraction, 
without  affecting  the  face.  Cautious  use  of 
this  preparation  on  the  brows  and  lashes  gives 
very  pleasing  results  when  these  are  much 
paler  than  the  hair.  They  should  be  first 
carefully  oiled,  and  the  oil  wiped  off  the  hair, 
which  is  then  touched  with  a  fine  sable  pencil. 
Fortunately,  bleaching  and  dyeing  are  both 
such  tedious  processes  that  this  circumstance 
alone  will  keep  many  persons  from  submitting 
to  their  bondage.  Once  applied,  the  dye  be- 
comes a  necessity,  much  harder  to  leave  off 
than  to  begin,  as  the  English  Dr.  Scoffern 
says,  who  is  authority  for  most  suggestions  in 
this  chapter.  One  can  not  blame  those  per- 
sons who  brush  the  roots  of  the  hair  or  fore- 
head and  neck  with  amber  lavender  to  dis- 


TRANSIENT   DYES.  273 

guise  their  pale,  unsightly  appearance,  and  a 
touch  of  the  same  liquid  on  white  eyebrows 
does  no  harm.  Walnut  bark,  steeped  a  week 
in  Cologne,  gives  a  dye  that  is  transient,  but 
easily  applied  with  a  brush  each  day,  and  has 
instant  effect.  It  takes  a  day  or  two  to  bleach 
hair,  and  hours  to  color  it  either  black  or  yel- 
low ;  and  the  work  has  to  be  done  over  month 
by  month  in  a  fashion  that  brings  the  victim 
to  .speedy  repentance  of  her  folly. 


INDEX. 


Acid,  Sulphurous,  page  85. 

Age,  Dev.ces  of  Uneasy,  '212. 

Amateur  Hair-dressers,  89. 

Appearance,  how  to  Improve  your  Personal,  96. 

Arabian  Women  Perfume  themselves,  how,  131. 

Anns — Whitening  the,  04 ;  a  Paste  for  Arms  and  Shoulders,  90 ;  how 

to  Whiten  the,  112;  a  Paste  for  Whitening  the,  128;  Exercise  to 

Develop  the,  231. 
Artists,  Woman's,  81,  88. 
Authors  Eat,  how,  102. 
Awakened,  Persons  should  not  be,  255. 
Awkward,  when  Girls  are,  227. 

Balconies  and  Parks,  in,  98. 

Banting  System  for  Reducing  Flesh,  115;  a  Quaint  Author,  1T6. 

Bath— Towels,  54;  Diana  of  Poitiers',  71  ;  Sun,  97;  the  Vapor,  129, 
170  ;  Sulphur  Vapor,  130;  Tepid,  152;  a  Bath  is  au  Extra  at  a  Ho- 
tel, 168  ;  Sulphur,  170;  the  Bran,  171  ;  the  Russian  Vapor,  205,  206, 
207;  Sensations  after  a  Russian,  208 ;  the  Sit/,,230;  a  Hot  Soap- 
suds, 241 ;  a  Sponge,  241 ;  a  Warm  Bath  Good  for  the  Nerves,  256. 

Bathe,  how  Ofien  we  should,  171. 

Bathing— the  Value  of  Hot,  54  ;  Magic  Influence  of,  89;  Bathing- 
Powder,  94;  Directions  for,  159;  Experiments  in  Sulphur,  199; 
Influence  of,  on  Nerves  and  Passions,  209  ;  Bathing  for  Girls,  227. 

Baths— Sun,  20;  a  Substitute  for  Sea,  55:  Fashionable,  87  ;  Public, 
129,  201;  a  Substitute  for  Vapor,  170;  Turkish  Baths  for  Corpu- 
lency, 178;  Sulphur,  198;  Cautions  about  Sulphur  Vapor,  200  ;  the 
Time  to  take  Sulphur,  200;  Prices  of  Sulphur,  201  ;  how  to  take 
Sulphur,  202;  Hot  Baths  for  Hot  Weather,  203 ;  Russian  Baths  at 
Home,  204;  what  Public  Baths  arc,  205;  what  Baths  should  be, 
205  ;  Improvements  Needed  in  Public,  205  ;  for  Drunkards,  210. 

Bay  Rum  for  the  Face,  172. 

Bairn's*  Pate,  160. 

Beauty— the  Worth  of,  71 ;  Care  of  Personal,  72  •  Beauty  in  the  Hu- 

»    man  Form,  86  ;  Literature  of,  136. 

Bed,  Time  to  go  to,  255. 

Beer,  Root,  93. 

Belle,  a,  must  Row,  Swim,  Skate,  and  Ride,  224. 

Belles  of  our  Cities,  Old,  149. 

Bites  of  Insects  on  Children,  81. 

Blackboards,  230. 


276 


INDEX. 


Bleached  by  the  Dawn,  97. 

Blonde  Hair,  how  to  Make,  68:  Blonde  Hair-pins,  261. 

Blondes,  Advice  to,  20. 

Blood,  Mild  Cider  for  Irritable,  240  ;  Dew-cool  Air  as  a  Blood  Tonic, 

97. 

Bloom—  Almond,  05;  Decay  of,  U6. 
Body,  Nobility  of  the,  105. 

Bonaparte,  Princess  Pauline  —  her  Lovely  Foot,  162. 
Braces,  230  ;  Shoulder  Braces,  38. 
Braids,  Matching,  258. 
Brain—  Brain-work  takes  Food,  102  ;  the  Brain  Dependent  on  the 

Body,  107  ;  the  Brain  moie  Delicate  than  the  Stomach,  256. 
Bread,  True,  99,100. 

Breakfasts,  98;  Christiana's  Breakfast,  98. 
Breath—  an  Offensive,  55  ;  how  to  Secure  a  Fragrant,  56. 
Bust  —  Development  of  the,  233  ;  Improving  the,  234. 

Calisthenics.  38. 

Camphor  for  the  Face,  172. 

Carriage  of  Southern  Women,  44. 

Cascanlla  Powder,  74. 

Caution,  a  Needed,  235. 

Cazenave's,  Dr.,  Composition  for  the  Face,  73. 

Celnart's,  Madame,  Works  of  the  Toilet,  134;  Recipe  f  r  Removing 
all  Traces  of  Tobacco  in  the  Breath,  156. 

Chignons  and  Wi^s.  Changing,  257. 

Chilblains,  a  Relief  for,  190. 

Children—  their  Irritations,  121  ;  their  Ways,  248,  24?. 

Chilliness  is  a  Symptom  of  Diseases,  51. 

Chills  are  Incipient  Congestion,  52. 

Christiana's  Looks,  90;  her  Breakfast,  98. 

Cider,  Mild,  for  Irritable  Blood.  240. 

Cigars,  People  who  Smoke  too  Many,  248. 

Circulation,  Charm  of,  51. 

Cleanliness  means  Health,  104. 

Clergymen,  Sensations  of,  250. 

Clothing,  Paper,  52. 

Coiffu  e,  Arts  of  the,  133. 

Cold  L  earn.  84. 

Cologne,  how  to  Make,  58. 

Color,  how  to  Procure  Freshness  of,  CO. 

Comedones,  or  Black  Worms,  how  to  Remove,  75. 

Complexion  —  how  to  Acquire  a  Clear,  13;  to  Clear  the,  17;  Prepa- 
rations for  Oily,  19  ;  how  to  Procure  a  Fine,  21  ;  Danger  of  Paint- 
ing the,  6!>;  Rain-water  as  a  Bath  for  the,  71  ;  Best  Wash  for  the, 
74;  Cure  for  Bad  Effects  of  Sun  and  Wind  on  the,  SO;  the  Com- 
plexion Ruined  by  Fumes  of  Medicine,  85  ;  Iris  Hues  of  the,  92; 
what  Complexion  is  the  Sign  of,  90  :  Early  Walks  Improve  the,  97  ; 
Effect  of  Sunshine  on  the,  9S;  Complexions  Improved  by  Taking 
Sulphur  Vapor-Baths,  130;  about  Complexions,  192  ;  Complexion 
gives  Trouble  to  Full-blooded  Girls,  193.;  Pure  Blood  Makes  a 
Good,  199  ;  how  to  Dress  with  a  Dull,  215  ;  Girls'  Complexions,  '/ill  ; 
Trouble  with  the  Complexion  in  Cold  Weather,  238;  how  to  Im- 
part a  Brilliant,  245  ;  the,  207. 


INDEX.  2  77 

Composers,  a  Nervous  Opinion  of,  248. 
Congestions,  Vapor-Bath  Good  for,  1TO. 

CorVs^oo^e1' Shoe's  the  Cause  of,  ICO;  Soft,  191;  Remedies  for, 

191. 

Corpulence,  Danger  of,  182. 

Corpulency,  Trials  of,  177  ;  Turkish  Baths  for,  178. 
Corsets-about,  105;  Girdles  more  Needed  than,  105;  Singing  Scales 

with  Corsets  off,  232 ;  the  Best,  2-53. 
Cosmetic— Artist,  87  ;  Gloves,  89,  245 ;  Cosmetic,  140  ;  Sultana's,  144; 

Milk  of  Roses  as  a,  153;  Cosmetics  sometimes  play  Tricks,  194. 
Crimping— the  Art  of,  83;  does  not  Injure  the  Hair,  258;  Crimping' 

pins,  259  ;  Rubber  Crimping-pins,  200. 

Curl  the  Hair,  how  to,  84;  Curling  Fluid,  28 ;  Curling-irons,  259. 
Custom,  93. 
Cuts,  SO. 

Dancers  Eat,  how,  102. 

Dancing,  243. 

Daughter's  Dressing,  a  Mother  should  Inspect  her,  22b. 

Dawn.  Bleached  by  the,  97. 

Dentifrice — Delicate,  57  ;  Standard,  143. 

Depilatories,  32 ;  Cautions  about,  128, 129. 

Devices  of  Uneasy  Age,  212. 

Devonshire,  Duchess  of,  14'.). 

Diet— for  Persons  with  Hepatic  Spots,  173  ;  for  Stout  People,  180  ; 
for  Girls,  223. 

Digestion,  Food  for  Weak,  14. 

Diseases— Chilliness  is  a  Symptom  of,  51  ;  Eruptive,  80. 

Dress— how  to,  219 ;  Poor  Taste  in,  220 ;  for  Girls,  228 ;  for  Flat  Fig- 
ures, 234. 

Dresses  for  Girls,  233. 

Dressing  on  Two  Hundred  a  Year,  215. 

Drinks— Cooling,  20  ;  Summer,  92,  93. 

Drowsy,  go  to  Bed  when  you  feel,  255. 

Dwellings,  about  our,  209. 

Dye— a  Harmless,  91 ;  how  to  Apply,  91 ;  French,  91 ;  Persian  Blue- 
black,  270;  f»r  White  Eyebrows,  273. 

Dves— for  the  Hair,  29;  for  the  Eyelashes  and  Eyebrows,  30;  for 
Theatricals,  34;  Chloride  of  Gold,  271 ;  Transient,  273. 

Dyspepsia,  Jealous  Women  have,  254. 

Eat,  how  to,  102. 
"  Kan  Angelique,"157. 
Editors,  Sensations  of,  250. 
Eliot,  George,  on  Complexions,  73. 
Emotion,  Training  of,  151. 
Enamel,  Baking,  145. 
Enigma  of  Love,  the,  147. 

Exercise— to  Develop  the  Arms,  231 ;  for  Girls,  232  ;  Out-door,  251. 
Expression  is  the  Siirn  of,  what,  95. 
Eyebrows— how  to  Grow,  90;  a  Dyo  for  White,  273. 
Eyelashes  and  Eyebrows— Dyeinir  the,  J'.o ;  Washes  for,  £1:  Trim* 
med  and  Brushed,  88 ;  how  to  Grow,  91. 


278  INDEX. 


Eyes  Bright,  Eating  Sugar  with  Cologne  on  Makes  the,  245. 
Eyes,  Dark,  122. 

Face  — Means  of  Softening  the,  19;  Making-up'the,  61 ;  Composi- 
tions for  the,  73  ;  Olive-oil  and  Tar  for  the,  120  ;  a  Preparation  for 
Whitening  the,  145  :  Pastes  and  Poultices  for  the,  172. 

Faces  — Good  for  Irritable,  120;  Bleaching,  198;  Dull,  Thin,  218; 
School-girls'  Flushed,  243. 

Faults,  Common,  96. 

Feelings,  never  Talk  of  a  Girl's,  before  Her,  230. 

Feet— Care  of  the.  40, 162  ;  Position  of,  when  Standing,  40;  how  to 
Keep  the  Feet  Elastic,  42  ;  Painful  Swelling  of,  42  ;  how  to  Bathe 
the,  102;  Oil  for  the,  103. 

Figure  —  Erectness  of  the,  38;  the  Proper  Carriage  of  the,  when 
Walking,  42  ;  what  a  Fine  Figure  must  be,  225 ;  Care  of  the,  after 
Nursing,  230. 

Figures,  Flat,  234. 

Fine  Arts,  School  of,  110. 

Finirer  Thimbles,  124. 

Finger-tips,  Coloring  of  the,  66. 

Flesh— how  to  Reduce,  93;  Banting  System  for  Reducing,  175;  Los- 
ing Flesh  at  the  Kate  of  a  Pound  a  Week,  182. 

Folks,  Older,  to  Join  with  the  Children,  241). 

Food— for  Weak  Digestion,  14;  Brain-work  takos,  102;  about  our, 
209. 

Form — Renovating  the  Outward,  12 ;  Beauty  in  the  Human,  80. 

Freckles— Golden,'  78;  how  to  Remove,  79. 

Freckle  Wash,  114. 

French  Dye,  91. 

Frizzing  t'he  Hair,  259. 

Frizzing-tongs,  259. 

Gargle  for  the  Mouth,  157. 

Generation,  a  Low-toned,  247. 

Girdle,  a  Linen,  105. 

Girdles  more  Needed  than  Corsets,  105. 

Girls— Physical  Education  of,  224;  when  Girls  are  Awkward,  227; 
Bathing  for,  227  :  I)>r  f.,r,  22$;  Dress  for,  228;  Exercise  for,  232; 
Care  of  Young,  235  :  Delicacy  due  Young,  235. 

Gloves,  Cosmetic,  S'.» ;  Close-tilting,  243. 

Grace— the  Secret  of,  3S  ;  how  to  Inspire  a  Girl  with,  226;  in  Wom- 
en, Sign  of,  234. 

Gums,  a  Recipe  for  Diseased,  160. 


Hair— Black,  how  to  Dye,  13  ;  Care  of  the,  22 ;  how  to  Cultivate  Chil- 
dren's, 23;  Washes,  24:  Means  of  Obtaining  Luxuriant,  26;  when 
toCut,20:  German  Method  of  Treating  the.  27  ;  Curling  Fluid  for 
the.  28 ;  Oil  for  the,  28 ;  Dyes,  29, 189:  how  to  Treat  Red,  81  ;  Super- 
fluous, 32  ;  Growth  of,  33;  how  to  Brush  the,  33:  Hair  Powders, 
67;  to  Darken  the,  68 ;  how  to  make  Blonde,  68;  Fashionable 
Gray.  82;  Preparation  for  Preventing  the  Sea-air  from  Turning 
the *fi«ir  Gray,  82;  Preparation  for  Restoring  the  Color  of  the, 
8'2;  how  to  keep  Hair  Crimped  or  Curled,  83;  how  to  Curl  the,  84; 
Bather,  87;  Dressers,  Amateur,  Sir.  a  Wash  U/S  t  i  mala  te  the  Growth 


INDEX.  379 

of,  90;  Bleaching,  121, 263;  Removal  of  Hair  on  the  Face,  125;  Re- 
moval of  Superfluous,  1*25;  a  Paste  for  Removing  Hairs  from  the 
Face.  12T ;  Countries  whtere  Women  have  the  Finest,  132;  Ef- 
fect of  the  Sun  on  the,  138 ;  Burdock  Wash  for  the,  180 ;  how  t.i 
keep,  from  Coining  Out,  1ST;  how  to  Restore  Color  to  the,  188; 
Dye,Cheapest  and  most  Harmless,  1S9  ;  Restorer,  Sperm-oil  a,  189  ; 
Hay-colored,  221 ;  how  to  Dress  the,  221 ;  FaK-e,  251 ;  Changing 
the' Color  of  the,  258;  Crimping  does  not  Injure  the,  258;  Light, 
should  be  Crimped,  258 ;  Dead,  should  be  Pulled  Out  by  the  Roots, 
268;  Frizzing  the,  259;  Hair-pins,  Blonde, '261 ;  Iron  Hair-pins  Hint 
the  Head,  201 ;  Cause  of  Light,  20-2  ;  what  Colors,  202 ;  Foxy,  265  • 
how  to  Change  Red  and  Flaxen,  271. 

Hands,  how  to  Soften  the,  111,  243 ;  how  to  Whiten  the,  112;  Bran' 
Mittens  for  Whitening  the,  172  ;  how  to  Secure  Good,  for  Girls,  231 ; 
Trouble  with  the,  iii  Cold  Weather,  238;  School-girls'  Flushed, 
243  ;  for  Removing  Vegetable  Stains  from  the,  244. 

Harvey,  Mr.  William,  ISO";  Honors  to  Dr.,  184. 

Health,  Cleanliness  means,  164. 

Heart  Dependent  on  the  Body,  the,  167. 

Hepatic  Spots,  Remedies  for,  173. 

High  Living,  Effects  of,  125. 

Homely  Women,  Hope  for,  95. 

Hours  of  Solitude,  Reserve  our,  149. 

Hugo  says,  what  Victor,  109. 

Humors  to  the  Surface,  Drawing,  196. 

Infant,  do  not  Wash  an,  with  Cheap  Soap,  161. 
Ink  or  Vegetable  Stains,  how  to  Remove,  112. 
Insulators,  Patent,  261. 
Iris,  Florentine.  138. 
Italian  Ladies,  Habit  of,  75. 

Joints,  to  Restore  Suppleness  to  the,  153. 

Lacing,  Arts  of,  136. 

Leaves  are  Full  of  Joy,  165. 

Lecturers  Eat,  how,  102. 

Linen,  E"crn,  and  White  Nausook,  217. 

Lip-Salve,  114. 

Lips,  Color  for  the,  07. 

Looks,  Woman's,  247. 

Love— the  Enigma  of,  147;  the  Love  of  Man,  147;  to  Love  and  be 

Loved,  147;  Power  of,  over  Man,  147  ;  Effect  of,  on  Women,  148; 

Miracle  of,  148. 

Madness,  Brief,  249. 

Magnificent,  Easier  to  be,  than  Clean,  168. 

"Making-lip,"  the  Secrets  of,  244. 

Malmaison,  Josephine  of,  150. 

Man  Admires  in  Woman,  what,  225. 

Manners,  Education  in,  35. 

Medicines  for  Women,  the  Great— Sunshine,  Music, Work,  and  Sleep, 

250 
Milk  of  Roses,  66,  153. 


280  INDEX. 


Mirrors,  Advantages  of  Lining  Rooms  with,  221. 

Moles,  33. 

Montagu,  Lady  Mary,  75. 

Moutez,  Lola,  Recipe  of,  154. 

Mother,  a,  should  Inspect  her  Daughter's  Dressing,  '2-2G. 

Mothers— a  Word  to,  109 :  Prescription  for  Feeble,  '211. 

Month,  Gargle  f  >r  the,  157. 

Murray's  Book,  Lines  from,  190. 

Music— Influence  of,  148;  Women  should  Study,  252. 

Mtisquito  Bites,  si. 

Nails—Polishing  the,  S3 ;  how  to  give  a  Fine  Color  to  the,  112 ;  In- 

growing,  16:>. 
N  ii  n  sook,  White,  212. 

Neck,  a  Preparation  for  Whitening  the,  145. 
Needle,  how  to  hold  a,  Gracefully,  137. 
Neighbors,  Pulling  our,  to  Pieced,  90. 
Nerves,  Woman's,  ''247. 
Nervous  Prostration,  Cure  for,  13 ;  Nervous  and  Sanguine  People, 

Diet  for,  15. 

Nets  vs.  Night-Caps,  25. 
Neuralgia,  Sulphur  Vapor-Bath  for,  130,170. 
Nose,  Redness  of  the,  244. 
Nose-Machine,  a,  1-23. 
Nursing,  Care  of  the  Figure  after,  230. 

Oil— for  the  Hair,  28 ;  of  Mace,  187. 

Oils,  Sweet,  15:-J. 

Ointment,  Olive,  105. 

Olive-Oil  and  Tar  for  the  Face,  120. 

Out-door  Exercise,  251. 

Padding,  against,  233. 

Paint  and  Powder,  59. 

Painting  the  Complexion,  Danger  r.f,  09. 

Paleness,  Northern  and  Southern,  78. 

Pallor,  Sinning,  77. 

Paper  as  a  Preventative  against  Chilliness,  52. 

Parks  and  Balconies,  in, '.  I, 

Parties,  Preparing  for,  238. 

Passions,  how  to  Quiet  our,  20 

Paste— for  Shoulders  and  Arms,  TO;  for  Removing  Hairs  from  the 
Face,  127;  for  Whitening  the  Arms,  128  ;  of  Venus,  139;  Sulphur, 
203. 

Pastilles,  Gray,  for  Purifying  the  Breath,  150. 

Pate,  BazluV,  160, 

Perfume — of  the  Presence,  49  ;  how  Arabian  Women  Perfume  them- 
selves, 131  ;  Perfumes,  141 ;  for  the  Body,  142  ;  Lost,  143  ;  of  Sprinsr, 
149  ;  of  ihe  Bath,  159. 

Perspiration  — Preparation  for  Profuse,  93;  Cure  for  Odor  of  the, 
159 ;  Dangers  Resulting  from  Suddenly  Checking,  203. 

Petrarch's  Laura,  88. 

Physical  Culture  Urgent,  107. 

Physical  Education  of  Girls,  224. 


INDEX.  281 

Piano,  Pract'ce  at  the,  229. 

Pimples— a  Recipe  to  Remove,  74  ;  are  Disease,  239. 

Pi  in  pie- Wash,  114. 

Pomades,  25;  Southernwood,  29  ;  Almond,  84  ;  Mexican,  141. 

Powder,  02;  Chalk,  63;  Cascarilla,74,  242;  Bathing,  94. 

Powder  and  Paint,  59. 

Preparation  for  Profuse  Perspiration,  93. 

Presence,  Perfume  of  the,  49. 

Prime,  Woman's,  11. 

Principals  of  Schools,  a  Word  to,  109. 

Prophylactic  Fluid,  241. 

Prostration,  Cure  for  Nervous,  13. 

Queen  of  England,  the,  uses  Distilled  Water  for  her  Toilet,  162>0 

Races— Grace  of  the  Latin,  37 ;  Antique,  226. 

Recamier's  Training,  TO. 

Recipes-for  Warm  Days,  92  ;  Perfume,  139, 140, 141, 143. 

Rheumatism,  Good  for,  170. 

Rooms,  Advantages  of  Lining,  with  Mirrors,  221. 

Roses,  Milk  of,  6t>. 

Rouge— Tints  of,  64 ;  Devoux  French,  CO. 

Rusma,  Oriental,  133. 

Sallowness,  how  to  Remove,  92. 

Salve— Lip,  114;  Toilet,  114. 

Scalp,  Preparations  for  Dry,  25. 

Scrofulous  Affections,  Good  for,  201. 

Sea-Baths,  a  Substitute  for,  55. 

Shoe-Lining,  164. 

Shoes,  Tight,  41. 

Shoulder— Braces,  38 ;  how  to  Acquire  Sloping  Shoulders,  40 ;  a  Paste 
for  Arms  and  Shoulders,  90;  Device  for  Stiff  Shoulders,  103. 

Singers  and  Students,  Diet  for,  15  ;  how  Singers  Eat,  102;  Training 
of,  151 ;  Singing  Scales  with  Cornets  off,  232  ;  Singing,  251. 

Situation,  Accepting  the,  214. 

Skin— Irritations  of  the,  20;  Prescription  for  the,  79  ;  pure  for  Rough 
Skins  from  Yachting,  79  ;  Rough,  80  ;  Summer  Irritations  of  the, 
81 ;  Inflammation  of  the,  85;  for  Improving  the,  113;  how  to  Pro- 
long the  Freshness  of  the,  152;  Bran  Cleanses  the,  171  ;  a  Recipe 
for  Sunburned  and  Freckled,  192 ;  Cause  of  Rough,  193;  Effect  of 
Consumption  on  the,  195. 

Sleep— the  Remedy  for  Temper,  254 ;  Number  of  Hours  to,  254 ;  Peo 
pie  who  Need  Much,  255. 

Soaps— Quality  of,  160;  do  not  use  Cheap,  161 ;  Carbolic,  238. 

Solitude,  Reserve  our  Hours  of,  149. 

Southern  Women,  Cavri;ige  of,  44. 

Southernwood  Pomade,  29. 

Spirits,  how  to  Obtain  t'nfailing,  101. 

Stains,  how  to  Remove  Ink  or  Vegetable,  112. 

Still,  a  Small,  1(59. 

Stippled  Skin,  Cure  for,  18. 

Stockings,  how  Often  to  Change,  163. 

Stomach,  to  Maintain  a  Healthy  Condition  of  the,  18. 


282  INDEX. 

Stont  and  Thin  People,  Food  for,  16  ;  a  Hint  to  Stout  People,  93; 

why  People  Grow  Stout,  102. 
Study,  a  Veto  on  Close,  229. 
SupeYfluons  Hair,  32. 
Surgeon,  a  Wise,  180. 

Swimming-School,  Nervous  Women  should  go  to,  251. 
Switches,  Freshening,  '205. 

Tan-Wash,  114. 

Tar,  195. 

Tea,  People  who  Drink  Strong,  243. 

Teeth — for  Decaying,  56;  Cleansing  of  the,  57;  Wash  for  the,  143. 

Temper,  how  to  Soothe  the,  20!) ;  Sleep  the  Remedy  for,  254;  Heathen 
Tempers  a  Sign  of  Wrong  Health,  254. 

Theatricals,  Dyes  for,  34. 

Thin  and  Stout  People,  Food  for,  16. 

Tint,  a  Brown,  91. 

Tobacco  in  the  Breath,  Remedy  for,  156. 

Toilet— WTater,  58, 140 ;  Antique  Toilet  Arts,  60  :  the  Toilet  a  Profes- 
sion, 87  ;  Influence  of  a  Luxurious,  88 ;  Luxury  of  the,  SS ;  Artistic 
at  the,  110  ;  Cares  of  the,  136 ;  Craft  of  the.  lf>2  :  Toilet  Waters  and 
Pastes,  161  ;  Distilled  Water  for  the,  169  ;  Plain  Women  and 
Agreeable,  215. 

Toothache,  Recipe  for  the,  155. 

Tooth- Wash,  158. 

Towels,  Bath,  54. 

Training,  Recamier's,  70. 

Tweezers,  Roman,  126. 

Typhoid  Fever  sometimes  Caused  by  High  Living,  126. 

Ulcers,  80. 
Unfeminine  Traits,  108. 

Vanities,  Different,  109. 
Vestris.  Madame.  152. 
Vitriol,  Wash  of,  76. 

Wakefulness  a  Sign  of  Ill-Health,  255. 

Walking  in  Relation  to  Health,  46. 

Warm  Days,  Recipes  for,  92. 

Wash— of 'Vitriol,  76:  to  Stimulate  the  Growth  of  Hair,  90:  a  Sand, 
111 ;  for  Tan,  Freckles,  Pimples,  and  Blotches,  114  ;  for  Teeth  01 
Hands,  143;  for  Sunburned  Skin,  242;  Glycerine,  24'2. 

Water— Toilet,  5S,  140 ;  Distilling  168;  Distilled  Water  for  the  Toi^ 
ler.169. 

Weak,  how  the,  should  Work,  253. 

Wire,  ii  Senator's,  218. 

WILTS,  Blonde,  for  Theatricals,  68;  Wigs  and  Chignons,  Changing,  257, 

Wiiiis,  X.P.,on  Beauty,  48. 

Woman  -her  Business  to  be  Beautiful,  9;  Woman's  Artists,  87,  88  ; 
R  Health  j  Woman,  107:  the  Loveliest  Woman  of  France,  150;  Trials 
of  a  Plain,  185;  how  a  Homely  Woman  can  make  Herself  Agree- 
able, 215;  what  Man  Admires  in  a,  225;  Woman's  Value  in  the 
World,  225;  a  Woman's  Rule,  240;  Woman's  Looks  and  Nerves,  247 


INDEX.  283 

Women — Carriage  of  Southern,  44;  Hope  for  Homely,  95;  Trans- 
formation of  Homely  Women  into  Charming  Beings,  95;  Sorrows 
of  Ugly,  110  ;  Effect  of  Being  in  Love  on,  148;  at  and  after  Thir- 
ty, 150;  Counsel  to  Women  of  Thirty,  115;  Porcelain,  19<J ;  what 
is  to  be  Done  with  Weak,  190;  Plain  Women  and  Agreeable  Toi- 
lets, 215;  Sensations  of  Writing,  250;  Nervous  Women  should  <^> 
to  Swimming-School,  251  ;  why  Women  should  Study  Music,  252  ; 
Jealous  Women  have  Dyspepsia,  254  ;  why  Women  Need  more 
Sleep  than  Men,  256  ;  the  Secret  of  Content  for  most,  25T. 

Work— a  Nervous  Person's,  is  Fuss,  24S  ;  how  the  Weak  should,  25P> ; 
well  done  the  Easiest,  253. 

Worms — Black,  or  Comedones,  how  to  Remove,  75  ;  Flesh,  239. 

Wrinkles— a  Kind  of  Varnish  for,  75;  how  to  Ward  off,  152;  Bread- 
Paste  and  Court-Plaster  to  Conceal,  213. 


THE    END. 


19